Siege of the Heart
by stuckfaraway
Summary: Zutara/Taang fic set in post Invasion where Zuko, Katara, and the rest of the gang face all the things they've only dreamt about in their worst nightmares. All characters are two years older than they are in the series.
1. Chapter 1: Hi, Zuko Here

**A/N:** Here's my take on Zutara. This story just might surprise you.

Takes place right after the Invasion.

**Disclaimer:** ATLA and all the characters aren't my property blahblahblah copyright and all that good stuff.

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**Siege of the Heart**

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Chapter 1: Hi. Zuko Here.

_Life is a shit sandwich. Eat it or starve - Unknown._

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Zuko wasn't happy. But then again, he was almost never happy. He was tired, he was hungry and most of all, he was confused. He had done it. The one thing that was least expected of him. He had turned on his father and decided to join the Avatar. Sure, it was a difficult decision but it hadn't seemed as foreboding as it did now. Zuko had begun to regret it more than once whenever he remembered the Waterbender-the one who gave him the first sign of a feeling he missed so much that he almost craved it, she had showed him an inkling of trust. And then of course he had to go and ruin it. He'd betrayed her.

Just the sight of her angry eyes, two pools of liquid sapphire, turned on him with amazing strength and fiery determination, that day in the crystal catacombs of Ba Sing Se, told him everything. He remembered the way she fought, the way she was ruthless when Aang was in danger.

He remembered the moment she broke down when Aang was shot full of lightning. She never said it, but there in those eyes was an unspoken accusation. It said that all the pain and terror that she had suffered, all of it, she completely and whole-heartedly blamed him for it.

But he'd make this right. He wouldn't let those eyes blame him for anything more. He'd join the Avatar. He'd fight alongside and even teach the Airbender. Zuko would try to be good. A brooding expression set into his features. How? How could Zuko possibly convince these people that he's on their side? Anger surged through the Prince. Why did everything have to be so damn complicated?

He rested his head against a tree and took a deep breath. There was no point in losing his head now. He took another breath and tried to form some sort of a plan. _What would Azula do? "_Listen Avatar, I can either join your group or I can do something unspeakably horrible to you and your friends," Zuko began in an uncanny imitation of his sister, "Your choice," he finished. He shook his head. Even just imitating Azula made his blood burn.

_ What would Uncle say? _"Zuko," he began in a low rasping voice, "You must look within yourself to save yourself from your other self. Only then will your true self reveal itself." Even speaking for his Uncle, Zuko still had no idea what he meant. A loud croak behind him made him jump and Zuko launched into a roundhouse kick and hit his leg on a tree stump and fell into a row of shrubs. In that moment, all of Zuko's frustration and temper colliding with the sudden pang of pain in his big to made him burst out in hot anger.

"Why am I so bad at being GOOD!" He yelled and clutched his foot tightly. A frog jumped out from behind the tree stump and hopped onto his chest. It eyed him with a look that seemed almost like a smirk. Zuko stared at it hopelessly, his eyebrows bunched together and his frown threatening to cut even deeper lines into his face. The situation was almost comical.

It was so strange to know so surely what he had to do but be unable to do it for fear of reactions to him. He was a Prince. His father may vehemently deny him his throne, but he was still royalty. People were SUPPOSED to like him. When he had been banished, Zuko didn't have much of a social life. He had just been angsty, lonely, and unbelievably mad at, well, everything. He never HAD to make anyone trust him. And yet here he was in a situation that left him speechless and at a complete lost for having never been in such a one before. Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation was socially awkward. Of course, having spent most of his teenage years chasing after these particular people did not help. No. They all probably harbored a special hate for him and he had no idea how to get through to them.

A burst of determination went through him. He could sit around and mope all day, or he could go and do whatever it took to win over the Avatar and his friends. No. For the first time Zuko wasn't going to go in with a plan, he was going to wing it. He looked around the little clearing where he had set up camp. The Balloon he had used to get there was strewn across the grass and his fire was sending up smoke. He realized that he was being very conspicuous. Zuko would have to make a move now.

_ "_All right, time to try and convince these people I'm on their side," he thought out loud. The sound of branches snapping made him whip his head around and Zuko found himself looking into a pair of brilliantly blue eyes.

"You know they say that the first sign of madness is talking to yourself?" Katara began, "Too bad I know you're already a psychotic prince." And with that, the Waterbender launched into her attack.


	2. Chapter 2: The Master Waterbender

**A/N: ** I'm afraid I'm a fan of short chapters and I realize this make make many of you hate me so I'm saying sorry from the beginning.

God writing about these two is becomingly strangely addicting.

AND THANK YOU REVIEWERS. I appreciate feedback more than you know.

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**Chapter 2: The Master Waterbender**

_Rage, the biggest truest part of her adult life, had invaded her like a fever, but it wasn't like any fever she'd known previously. It circulated like weird serum. Cold on the right side of her body, then hot on the left, where her heart was. - Stephen Kind, "Big Driver"_

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Katara was angry. She was at her wits end and nothing was helping. Here she was, working her bindings off trying to keep the team together but everyone was at each other's throats. Aang was being strangely aloof about his whole lack of a Firebending Master. Sokka was goofing off as per usual, and although Katara couldn't really blame him for it, every single joke he made seemed to hit her frayed nerves even harder. Toph was being as obnoxious as ever and her 'I carry my own weight' attitude was making a rebound. Haru, Teo, and the Duke weren't much trouble but they were always off exploring the temple, and the fact that they didn't feel the need to help around made Katara very frustrated. Her head was pounding and she was stressed and jumpy. She needed some much deserved quiet time.

Everyone had immediately begun to kick back and relax from the moment they had reached the Western Air Temple. But could she? No. She'd had to find food, cook, and be the only responsible one. It was really wearing her down. During their flight, she had spotted a spring nestled amongst the trees and the thought cooled her down slightly. The thought of a refreshing bath made her smile in relief, so when Aang came up to her room, he found her putting together a small bag of things for her hike down into the forest in search of the mystery spring.

"Are you going somewhere?" his familiar voice piped up.

"Oh hi Aang," Katara began, "I just wanna check out this place that I noticed when we were flying here, I'll be back in a bit. Don't worry," she reassured him.

"Oh…do you need any help?" Aang asked, the hope in his wide grey eyes blatantly obvious.

"Oh Aang, I'm just…I need a break from, well, from everything," Katara replied. She watched the disappointment flood into those grey eyes but she didn't take it back. She was in desperate need of some alone time. He left her room with drooping shoulders.

Katara slung her pack over her shoulder. It contained some sweet smelling herbs, a sweet jasmine scented perfume that she had bought from the fire nation village they'd visited, a change of clothes, and a basket for berries, fruits and nuts. Even with her little break, Katara hadn't lost her inhibitions. No, she was still going to take care of her ragtag band of friends, no matter how incredibly aggravating they were.

With that final thought, Katara began climbing down the stairs that wound their way down and off the cliff side. She could have taken Appa but the poor beast was exhausted after the flight. It was a long time before Katara finally made it to the bottom and she was drenched in sweat. She gritted her teeth and after hefting her pack once more, she tore through the trees.

Her instinct told her that the spring was further off to the east, where the ground sloped downwards. She remembered that it was near a clearing and a large strangely drooping tree. As she trekked through the forest, she heard nothing but the sound of her boots squelch through dirt and leaves. At last she came by the familiar tree. She heard the sound of trickling water and a feeling of serenity soothed her tortured psyche. Katara could barely contain herself as she kicked off her shoes, flung off her dress and leggings and ran the rest of the way to the spring.

She found herself looking at an amazing marvel of nature. Shiny stones glittered at the spring's bed and small waterfalls flowed into it. Pebbles, smoothened from years of being submerged, glowed with a surreal quality. Katara eased herself into the water and a wonderful warmth permeated through her body. She felt the knots in her back unwind themselves and found herself washing in a heavenly fashion, almost hypnotized by the colors around her and listening to the lullaby of the water. That was her state of mind when she heard a loud _crack _and then a loud exclamation.

Katara's first reaction was to hide; she was in just her bindings, after all. _That voice did sound familiar though_. But that notion passed out of her mind just as quickly as it came. _I'm a Master Waterbender. What harm could anyone do to me when I'm literally the one in my element? _

SO, Katara did what any Master Waterbender with a knowledge of blood-bending would do, she pulled herself out of the spring, did her best to pull a dress over her wet head, and crept towards the place where the outburst had seemed to come from. As she neared a clearing, she almost tripped over a giant red object that took up an entire section of the forest floor. After a moment of hesitation, Katara realized that she was staring at a Fire Nation War Balloon.

_Does that mean they found us? _Katara summoned some of the water from the canteen at her hip and prepared a stance. That's when she saw him. He was sitting down on a tree stump, his hair wild and unruly. He was muttering something to himself. Katara didn't pause for a heartbeat. After a scathing remark about his habits of talking to himself, Katara attacked the Prince of the Fire Nation.


	3. Chapter 3: Turning Tables

**A/N:** I'm sorry for the wait but life got in the way for a while.

Once again I must apologize for my maddening habit of writing short chapters.

But I did add this scene involving getting tied to a tree(; So I hope that makes for it.

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**Chapter 3: Turning Tables**

_God only knows what we're fighting for, All that I say, you always say more, I can't keep up with your turning tables._

_Turning Tables - Adele_

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The first thought that went through Zuko's mind in the seconds that it took for Katara's water whip to slice through the air towards him was just how incredibly _wet _she looked. Her hair was drenched and loose waves tumbled across her shoulders. Her clothes were soaked through, as if she had put them on in a hurry without drying herself. He noticed where she hadn't fastened the collar properly at her neck a small puddle of water sat in the hollow of her throat. At the last moment before getting his head struck clean off, instincts kicked in and Zuko leapt away from the attack but managed to trip and fell into an ungraceful heap.

Not many things scared the Banished Prince but when he looked up at the azure-eyed water-bender, he felt a shot of fear strike through him. The girl really wanted him dead, and that much at least, was apparent from her attack. Zuko sat up and bowed his head, feeling the confusion radiate from the Water Tribe girl. She still stood there; about ten paces away, the water held up and ready to strike.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you right now," the girl said scathingly. Zuko looked up at her. Her fierce expression and unwavering stance spoke enough about her hatred towards the Prince. Zuko hesitated.

"Honestly, there isn't one," He finally answered. He gazed up at the water-bender through the gap in his hair. Her eyebrows knit together and she narrowed her eyes.

"You've got that right," she muttered and lowered the daggers of ice she'd had ready. "And yet here you are, still alive. So you better start talking. One wrong move, _Prince Zuko,_" she said his title with added contempt, "and you'll find yourself among your ancestors." Zuko looked up at her and saw the seriousness in her eyes and realized how she felt. She'd probably been minding her own business when she'd heard him. After all the pain and grief he'd put her through, she was right to want to hurt and possibly kill him. He looked her in the eye and turned his palms up in an expression of peace.

"I came here in an attempt to make peace with you and the Avatar. I've understood the error of my ways and I want to join you," He spoke in his 'Prince of the Fire Nation' voice.

"Peace my ass," Katara muttered. "We don't want anything to do with you. Leave or die." Zuko saw the hopelessness of his situation begin to sink in as the Waterbender moved her arms in a series of motions and he found himself staring up at a thousand ice daggers, glinting maliciously.

"I've changed! I've done a lot of bad things in my life and now all I want to do is make things right again. I want to help the Avatar bring balance to the world. I know I could make a difference. I thought that somehow my father could return my honor if I gave him the Avatar, but I see now that honor is something I have to earn," He looked at Katara imploringly, "Please let me just speak to him."

He saw the inner turmoil that took place in the girl through her startlingly blue eyes. She lowered her arms again, and the sound of ice hitting the ground a yard away was strangely comforting. Zuko let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. But the girl was still looking at him like he was something she'd found on the bottom of her shoe. The Prince attempted to smile but what came out was more of a grimace. Katara walked closer to him and before he knew it, she was right in front of him. She leaned into him. Zuko had never seen eyes that were quite so blue.

But then the Water-tribe girl pushed him back with surprising force and shoved him up against a tree. She grabbed the sash that hung from his shoulder and wound it twice around its trunk and knotted it swiftly. The bewildered Prince barely had time to blink. Nothing had prepared him for this. Then with a few quick blasts, the Water-bender froze his torso to the tree, knowing full and well that his hands and feet could have melted their way out. She leaned back, examining her work and Zuko sought her eyes.

"I'll be back," she finally said.

Then she drew more water from her wineskin and pressed her fingertips to his temples. The water glowed blue as his vision went black. The last thing he knew, the girl grabbed his shoulder and whispered into his ear in a dangerously low voice, "Oh how the tables have turned."


	4. Chapter 4: Prisoner of War

**A/N:** I'll be updating more often now.

Something about having nothing to do, makes writing Zutara so appealing.

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**Chapter 4: Prisoner of War**

_People can be more forgiving than you can imagine, you just need to forgive yourself. - Bill Cosby._

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Zuko woke up to the sound of four very loud, very irritated voices.

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING KATARA. YOU COULD'VE BEEN SHOT FULL OF FIRE RIGHT NOW," He heard a particularly loud male voice.

"Enough, Sokka. Since none of us has any idea why he's here, I guess we'll just need to wait for him to wake up," another male voice, younger, but much more calmer, Zuko noted.

"I say we just leave him here," a girl piped up, "Maybe we'll get lucky and a racoonbear'll eat him." The Prince fervently hoped that that particular decision was not going to be taken. Then _she_ spoke. The girl that had done this to him in the first place.

"We should take him as a prisoner."

She was probably still reveling in his capture. Silly water-tribe peasant. He could've gotten out of his bonds easy. But she'd done _something_ to him. Something that made his head ache and knocked him unconcious. But then the last few seconds before she had ambushed him collided with his thoughts. She'd been so close to him. Her hands almost outstretched for his. Zuko groaned inwardly as he realized he'd been played by the oldest trick in the book. He peered up through bleary eyes at the gang of teenagers.

"Welcome back to the land of living. But I have a feeling you won't last long here if you don't spill your beans. _Now," _the girl with hair spilling over her eyes spoke out frankly.

"Toph, come on. You'll scare the guy. Besides, your interrogation techniques are all wrong. Allow me," said the taller male with a pony-tail and water-tribe get up. With a jolt, Zuko realized that he was surrounded by the Avatar's companions, and there sitting on the same tree stump he'd been sitting on himself in yellow robes and staff in hand was the Avatar himself.

"Okay listen here, Zuko, we, the Gang and I, would like to continue our lives in a semi-average way and yet, we can't, because _certain_ Princes just _have_ to regain their Prince," Ponytail boy paused here, and then after looking a little confused continued, "liness? Anyway, we could just let you go, but chances are, you'd come back, throwing fire at our heels, so we're going to take you prisoner and you're going to be a wonderfully docile little fire-bender or we just might take up Toph's offer of letting the racoonbears have you." With that the boy finished, looking mighty pleased with himself.

"Uh actually, Sokka? I don't think there are any racoonbears up here. Mostly just rabbits and smaller critters," The Avatara interjected, a thoughtful smile on his face.

"AAANNG!" The boy named Sokka whined, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING. You're not supposed to tell _him_ that," he said jerking his head towards Zuko after lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper.

"Do I get a vote," Zuko mumbled. His head was killing him.

"Oooh Sparky's got sass. If you weren't always trying to kill my friends, I might even like you," the girl named Toph said, amusement all over her features. That's when Zuko noticed her eyes. They were large and green but milky in a way, as though the original color had faded.

"You're blind," he gasped, and then realized he said it out loud and shut his mouth with an audible snap.

"I'm afraid I'm gonna have to demote you down from Prince of the Fire Nation to Captain of _Obviousness_," the girl smirked.

"No-I just-You walk like you can see everything," he replied, baffled. What was this, some sort of spirit world intervention? Oh Agni, his head hurt.

"Oh spirits, not this again. Okay well, I can see with my feet blah blah, feeling vibrations and stuff, and yes you may fawn and faint in awe now," Toph finished leaping to her feet and doing a mock bow albeit in the wrong direction.

"If you're done with your little bonding session with the enemy, Toph, I think we should all get to the matter at hand," The water-tribe girl said quietly. Immediately the group sobered up although Zuko saw the earth-bender's smile twitch in annoyance. But it was in a way that was almost, _affectionate?_

"Let's put it to a vote then," the Avatar announced, "Everyone for taking the Prince as a prisoner?" The whole gang agreed to that decision. "Okay, so now you're our prisoner," the young monk began, a frown tainting his otherwise cheerful face, "But you still haven't told us why you're here."

"Oh don't bother Aang, he was spouting some crap about wanting to make peace. Chances are, he's just here for you," the blue eyed girl spoke bitterly. Zuko hung his head for a moment.

"No, " he said. His voice rasped. "NO!" he shouted, more to himself than to the others. He felt delirious but too many thoughts bubbled to his lips for him to stop. "I've had a troubled past. I'm not exactly the most angelic, and I've done things I regret," he paused taking a shallow breath, "but I learned things, I…I thought that I was doing my country a favor, by looking for you," Zuko inclined his head towards the monk, "but I know now that my nation doesn't need any favors, its already upsetting the balance of the universe. And that's why I'm here. For balance," Zuko swallowed, 'To help you bring in a new path, a new era of peace and kindness," he finished echoing his last conversation with his father.

And with that, the Prince, raised his body heat to a scalding point, so that the ice around his midsection steamed off. Bet the peasant didn't know I could do that, Zuko thought with a bitter amusement. Then, with a few calculated fire blasts, his bonds were torn through. When he finished shrugging off the last of his singed and torn robes, he found himself staring down a hailstorm of ice, the end of a wooden staff, a large boulder, and a meteorite sword, shirtless. Instead of running or fighting, Zuko, who had been expecting a reaction rather a lot like that, hesitantly knelt down and proffered his wrists.

"If you won't take me as your companion, take me as your prisoner," he said sadly and bowed his head. The Avatar gave him a look. It was a mixture between approval and confusion.

"I guess that's that then," The earth bender announced marching up to the Prince. When he looked up briefly, she smashed her forehead against his. Zuko's already throbbing head felt like it would shatter. He looked up at the girl dazedly, "Come on Princess," she grinned and picked up the ground beneath his feet and proceeded to carry him as he began to black out, "Time for the royal treatment."


	5. Chapter 5: Being Forgiven

**Chapter 5: Being Forgiven**

_"I never saw a wild thing feeling sorry for itself. A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough without ever having felt sorry for itself." - D.H. Lawrence_

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She looked at him inquisitively as Toph set the slab of rock that carried his unconscious form down in the temple commons where they stood. Was there a chance that he had changed? No. No, he'd done this to her before. He'd gained her trust and manipulated her. She wasn't about to fall for it again. But Katara couldn't get those amber eyes out of her head. Even with his scar, Zuko's eyes had shone out with a fiery looked that had been almost sincere.

With a shudder she remembered that encounter with the pirates, the time Zuko tied her to a tree. She remembered his warm breath tickling the back of her neck and the way he looked at her. Like a prize finally won. He'd even pinned her wrists in place with his hands. His breath had been hot, not warm, _hot,_ as he'd spoken to her. Hah, if he'd tried anything like that this time, she would have had him frozen in place faster than he could say 'honor'.

The truth was, Katara was deadly afraid. What if he managed to do it again? What if he'd make her feel like _that? _In the crystal catacombs of Ba Sing Se, Zuko had done something to her, something that had made her bold enough to touch his scar-no, _want_ to touch his scar. To soothe and calm the boy without a mother. Katara snorted. Whatever he'd been trying to do, it worked. She'd been willing to believe ever word he said. She shook her head darkly, no, she'd been far too gullible. The Prince had made her feel so comfortable. So...happy to be with him. She'd almost been sad to see her rescuers.

And Katara hated him for making her feel that way.

* * *

Zuko woke up to find three pairs of eyes gazing down at him. He groaned as he sat up raised a hand to his throbbing forehead and found a huge lump right under his wild bangs. Why did these people have to keep knocking him out? Didn't they trust him? Oh…of course not. But still. He would like to retain _some_ brain cells, thank you very much.

"So, Sleeping Beauty, you're finally up. You haven't missed a thing," Toph assured him, "And sorry for that little bump, can't have you knowing the location of our place. Ah Katara'll look at that for you, wontcha Sweetness?" she finished, looking up at the water-tribe girl.

"…Sure," she replied shortly.

"…So what does this mean for me?" Zuko asked slowly.

"It means you lose your booboo, Princess. I'm seriously beginning to doubt the mental capabilities of the Fire Nation. You'd think a Prince would at least be somewhat smart," Toph sneered. Zuko's lips rose in a half smile as he realized that she was like this on a good day. She was funny, in a crude way. But not half bad to be around.

"No I mean…being your prisoner," he explained. Sokka and Aang's faces fell when they heard the question. They had been watching his little rant with Toph with amused expressions.

"It means that you sit here quietly, don't try to escape, and stay out of our way," Katara answered darkly, "It's not like you're any use to us, as is." Zuko felt disappointment course through him. How was he going to help the Avatar bring balance to the world by sitting around? No. He had to think of something. And then it hit him.

"No, WAIT. I could be useful. I can teach the Avatar fire-bending. I'm a Master among my people," he responded, a spurt of hope coloring his voice, "I can help him beat the Fire Lord," he said this last part more to himself than the group.

"You…what?" the Avatar piped up this time, "That's…That's perfect! I need a Fire-bending teacher anyway. I don't know about you guys, but I think Zuko's exactly what we need right now."

"Aang, are you sure you're thinking this through," Sokka cautioned, "I'm with you no matter what, but still." He looked very pointedly at Zuko. At the moment Appa let out a low growl and after stomping over, licked the Prince from head to toe.

"Yes! I mean, what other opportunities will I have to find someone to teach me Fire-bending?" Aang continued and after noticing Appa he added, "And Appa seems to like him."

"Alright Twinkletoes, let's get Prince Sparky some healing done first though," Toph broke in, "It'd be a shame if he got all screwy in the head before he taught you anything," she finished. Zuko gaped at her. Was that a hint of concern in her voice? Gods, was he glad to have her around, his head was definitely feeling like hell.

"Toph, are you actually defending this guy? Do you have any idea what he's done to us? What he's PUT US THROUGH?! YOU GUYS CAN'T POSSIBLY WANT TO HAVE HIM HERE AS-AS A PERSON. HE'S PRINCE ZUKO OF THE _FIRE NATION_," The water-bender argued, her voice rising to a shrill pitch by the end. She looked with her blue eyes wide like she couldn't believe that had actually come out of her mouth.

"No, I'm just saying that Aang needs a fire bending teacher, and now you've got one handed to you on a silver platter, and-and YOU WON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT?!" Toph retaliated. She stomped away, heading back to her room. The rest of the gang, Teo, the Duke, and Haru appeared at all the commotion. They gaped when they spotted the Prince but no one said anything.

"Katara, he said he's changed. Let's see how it goes. He can't do anything to harm us here. There's a bunch of us, and only one of him. Give it a chance?" Aang spoke, the voice of reason of the whole group. So her name was Katara, Zuko thought briefly. He rolled the name around in his head. Katara herself felt cornered. She glared at the ground.

"…Okay Aang. Whatever you say, I'll go with," she finally answered hesitantly.

"Okay then its settled. Okay Zuko, welcome to Team Avatar…I guess," Sokka announced. "This is _so _weird," he whispered to Aang over his shoulder. Zuko could hardly believe his ears. The beginnings of a grin appeared on his face.

"You guys won't regret this, I promise," he informed. After getting funny looks from all the members of 'Team Avatar' present, Sokka finally led him up to a room.

"So uh, there ya go. Uhm dinner? Soon?" After giving the water-tribe boy a grateful nod, he heard him muttering about the strangeness of the situation long after he left the room.

Zuko set his pack down on the bed. Toph had salvaged it for him. He pulled out his photograph of Iroh and held it tightly in his hands, the startings of tears burning at the corners of his eyes. He was so involved, he didn't see the girl-Katara come in. She stood at the door, leaning against its frame.

"You may have everybody fooled, but all of us know you've struggled with doing the right thing in the past," the girl began. _You especially_, Zuko thought. Her presence didn't entirely surprise Zuko. He'd been expecting a visit from her.

"So I'm going to tell you this loud and clear," she said, her eyes narrowed and her voice was seething with an anger that the Prince knew she was trying very hard to keep under wraps, "You make one wrong move, do anything to make me think you might hurt any of us, and I will end your little struggle. Permanently." She gave him a hard look and turned to leave but Zuko was feeling bold. He crossed the room in three long steps and grabbed her by the wrist. He felt her stiffen and the temperature dropped almost imperceptibly.

"Let go of me, Zuko," she whispered, "Don't test me." Zuko pulled her into his room and slammed the door shut.

"I'm not trying to," he answered honestly as he stood in front of the door blocking her way out. Her hand was at her wineskin immediately but Zuko put a gentle hand on hers. "Just listen, please," he begged. He needed her to see his change. He couldn't have her hating him. Just the prospect of her looking at him with those big blue eyes in pure hatred made him wither inside. She lowered her arms.

"Then go ahead," she was trying very hard to keep her voice level but Zuko could feel the strain.

"I want you to know that what happened in Ba Sing Se is something I'll regret for the rest of my life. By making the wrong decision that day, I lost every ounce of faith my Uncle ever put in me," he stopped here, looking at her face, but it was inscrutable, "and I lost your trust. I betrayed you guys," he looked down and let out a bitter laugh, "And to think a year ago, I would betray you over and over," he looked up at her seriously, his amber eyes had gone wide, "I would have let the world _burn,_ if it meant my father accepted me," he finished with disgust.

"Well I'm glad you've come to your senses," Katara answered evenly. She looked at him curiously, "And if you'll excuse me, I have work to do," she continued and pushed past him smoothly to get to the door. Zuko's jaw dropped. After all that, her only reaction was cold indifference? He grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around to face him.

"Wait, please Katara, I need to know. Do you forgive me? Do you…hate me?" he asked earnestly. She laughed in his face.

"I don't think there was ever any doubt in my hatred towards you," she replied coldy. He felt her twitch. She was lying.

"Yes there was. In Ba Sing Se," he slid his hand down her shoulder to her wrist and placed her hand on his scar, "You once tried to heal me." And then suddenly Katara was tired. She slumped.

"I did. Back when I thought you were worth saving," she said tiredly. She didn't complain about their proximity. She closed her eyes and Zuko was almost sad to see those crystal orbs disappear behind thick lashes.

"Okay. I'm willing to let you prove yourself," she finally relented, but her shoulers tensed back up immediately, "But I don't forgive you, Zuko. I will never forgive you," she spat and turned on her heel to leave. The Prince found himself empty handed and staring at an empty doorway before the words sunk in. They echoed in his skull and reverberated through his already throbbing head.

_I will never forgive you I will never forgive you I will never forgive you_

* * *

**A/N:** I just wanted to add that what happened in Ba Sing Se isn't canon in this fic. Well...its mostly canon, except somethings. You'll see. Just hang on.


	6. Chapter 6: Embraces

**Chapter 6: Embraces **

_You're feeling sad you're feeling lonely, and no one seems to care, your mother's gone and your father hits you, the pain too much to bear. - Good Charlotte_

* * *

He groaned in defeat. The water-tribe girl was still clearly not a fan of his. What Zuko didn't understand is why he cared so much. Why did he have to make her like him? Why couldn't he just relax? The Avatar had accepted him. What was wrong with him? He sat down on his new bed, putting a hand to his temples trying to soothe his monumental headache.

She had no idea, _no idea_, how important her approval was to him. How important _she _was to him. He needed her to smile because of something he said. He needed to hear her laugh and know that it was because he'd done something to pry one from her lips. He couldn't stand her cold indifference. It was because he'd seen so much passion in her before. So much fire.

To see it turn to ice so fast made his heart ache. Yes that was it, he wanted her to be her old self again. The girl who fought with a spark that rivaled even the most accomplished fire-bender. That was it. No other reason. He was just looking out for the one who had made him feel so important. She'd made him feel so…normal. Like he wasn't disfigured. She'd made him question his entire past. His family, his morals, everything. She'd changed him.

And he felt indebted to her for that. That was all.

* * *

_Katara walked into her new prison. The Dai Li Agent roughly maneuvered her. He ripped off her blindfold and threw her into the room. She fell against a giant pillar of crystal. The guard walked out the way he had led her in and shut the entrance with a slab of rock._

_She felt panic welling up in her chest. Then, she heard the scuffle of movement. Immediately she was up. Her hand automatically went to her hip where her wine-skin usually was, but with a jolt she remembered it had been taken away. She crept towards the sound, on edge. She turned a corner of crystal formations and found herself staring into amber eyes._

_"What-What are you doing here?" she asked, startled._

_"Same thing you are," Zuko replied, his voice husky, "being trapped." Katara narrowed her eyes at him._

_"Oh I see, when Aang comes to rescue me, it's a trap for him, so that you can finally have him in your little Fire Nation clutches," Katara said, her voice loaded with disgust. The Fire Nation Prince didn't respond. In answer, he looked down at the ground. Katara was getting really annoyed. That jerk._

_"You're a terrible person, you know that? Always following us, hunting the Avatar, trying to capture the world's last hope for peace!" by this point, Katara was nose to nose with the fire-bender, a finger pointed at him, "Spreading war and violence and hatred is in your blood." Zuko closed his eyes and took a deep breath._

_"You don't know what you're talking about," he finally answered peering at her through those golden eyes._

_"I don't? HOW DARE YOU. You have no idea what this war has put me through," Katara was beginning to waver at this point, "Me, personally. The Fire Nation," She took a shallow breath, "The Fire Nation took my mother away from me." And then the tears came. She couldn't help it. A sob shook her and she turned away from the Prince and knelt down, trying so hard to hide her display of weakness. She felt an uncertain hand come down on her shoulder._

_"I'm sorry. That's something we have in common," Zuko said slowly. Katara turned to look up at him through a curtain of tears._

_"I don't-I don't understand. If the Fire-Nation took away your mother, why are you so hell bent on taking away the only hope the rest of the world has?" she looked at him through accusing eyes. He turned away this time. But she was determined to pry an answer from him._

_"We have time," she said, "I don't think we're going anywhere anytime soon." He looked at her with an expression that one could only call worried._

_"I'm the Banished Prince. And the only thing that will end my exile is returning to my Nation with the Avatar in tow," he relented. Understanding flowed through the water-tribe girl._

_"Oh…well that wasn't so complicated, was it?" she assured him. He turned around to face her, his shoulders tense and his eyes blazing._

_"You don't understand. NOBODY UNDERSTANDS. THE AVATAR IS MY ONLY HOPE OF GOING HOME. WITHOUT HIM, I CAN NEVER RETURN!" Zuko was surprised at his own outburst but he continued, "…I can never go home," he said quietly. Sympathy welled into Katara's heart. She put a hand on his arm. _

_"No offense and all, but, your home kinda sucks," she said softly. Zuko snorted._

_"No kidding." He looked at her with a hint of amusement._

_"I'm sorry I yelled at you. It's just…Whenever I pictured the face of the enemy, the only face I could picture was…well…your face," she whispered. His face clouded over._

_"My face. I see," he raised a hand to the darked skin on the left side of his face. Katara was taken aback. She didn't mean that at all._

_"No no I didn't mean−"_

_"It's okay," he cut her off, "I used to think this scar marked me. The mark of the Banished Prince, cursed to chase the Avatar forever…but lately I've realized that I'm free to determine my own destiny, even if I'll never be free of my mark." She looked at him with an urge to help the scarred Prince._

_"Maybe you could be free of it," she began, "I have healing abilities," she offered hopefully._

"It's_ a scar, it can't be healed," he replied shortly. Katara lifted a small vial that hung from a chain around her neck._

_"This is water from the Spirit Oasis of the North Pole…I've been saving it for something important…maybe it could work," she pressed. She saw hope glimmer in the Prince's eyes. She reached up to touch his scar. It was cool to touch and smooth. Zuko shivered involuntary. Katara was bending the water out of the vial and towards him. He jerked away at the last minute._

_"What's wrong?" Katara asked, sweeping the water back into the vial. The Prince was sitting on the ground with his head in his hands._

_"I just don't know…I don't know If I'd be the same person without my scar. It's such a big part of me. I'll have to decline your offer…but thank you," he confessed. Katara knelt by the Prince. He looked so full of pain. She had to do something. She put an arm around his shoulders. She saw his scar-eye widen in surprise and then close in acceptance._

And so the broken Prince and the healing girl lingered in their embrace.

* * *

**A/N: ** So there you guys go. The reason why Ba Sing Se was such a big deal to our lovely couple.


	7. Chapter 7: Progress

**Chapter 7: Progress**

_Find a place inside where there is joy and the joy will burn out the pain. - Joseph Campbell_

* * *

Dinner with Zuko was…different. As the gang sat huddled together, eating dinner around a fire, everyone was oddly quiet. Even Toph didn't stop what she was doing every five seconds to make a snide remark−not that Katara was complaining. He sat in a corner, ate his food quietly and the after a quick nod towards Aang, he ducked down the corridor to head to his room. For some reason, Katara's eyes hadn't stopped following his every movement the whole.

She told herself it was suspicion but she knew she was lying. Something about Zuko drew her eyes to him almost magnetically. She caught herself tracing his jaw line with her eyes, skimming across down to his well muscled shoulders and then up and across to the flat planes of his chest and stomach that showed through the tight fabric of his shirt.

Memories of the morning, when he'd been reduced to just his trousers flashed in her mind. She had tried not to stare for too long but the white skin of his toned body had been mesmerizing to look at. Oh damn, she was doing it again. God knows she really needed to get away from all thoughts of Zuko. He was the _bad guy_ for Agni's sake. Well, bad guy turned good guy or whatever. She wasn't buying it.

See Katara knew better than to fall for this whole 'transformation'. She knew he was bad news. She knew that someday, maybe a week from that day, a month, a year or five years he would betray them. So then why did that thought depress her so much? Why did the idea of Zuko turning back into a cold-blooded, pony tail wearing avatar hunter terrify her so much?

She excused herself and shuffled up to her room, hugging her shoulders. Damn Zuko. _Damn_ him for invading her thoughts. She threw open her door with slightly more force than necessary and fell into her bed, welcoming the thought of sleep. Nice, dreamless, Zuko-less, sleep. She quickly slipped off her robes and wrapped herself into her sleeping bag in just her bindings and underdress.

She was well on her way to dreamland when she heard a knock on her door. Oh it was probably Sokka with his eyebrows singed off again. As she walked up to the door she muttered to her self. She had told him to wear protective equipment.

"Sokka I _told _you to wear−_Zuko?_" She had started scolding before even opening the door and then spluttered in confusion. He stood there in a pale white shirt and loose canvas pants, looking down awkwardly.

"What," she began and then narrowed her eyes and said more sternly, "What are you doing here?" She hid her hardly clothed body behind the door with just her face peeking through. He looked at her sheepishly.

"I just…my head feels really weird and Toph said you'd be the person to ask…and I just…I'm sorry if I woke you up. I can come back later or something," Zuko explained but Katara heard the strain in his voice. Maybe she'd gone a little over board with her water-bending technique of making someone fall unconscious. She'd discovered it herself. Katara rubbed the back of her hand over her tired eyes.

"No...no just wait here," she answered. Katara knew Zuko. He must've been really hurting if he'd come to her. His pride normally wouldn't allow it. She shut the door and threw her dress over her nearly naked body and after letting Zuko in grabbed her newly filled water-skin. She looked around at her humbly furnished little room with just a small cot and table. _Fine_, she thought. _I'll let him sit on my bed. Just this once._

Katara motioned towards the cot and turned away from him as he went to go sit down. She could feel his eyes on her back and she shifted uncomfortably. She lifted the water up and down and tried to find that state of mind she needed to heal. Katara relaxed her shoulders and took a few deep breaths. There. She had it.

She turned back to Zuko who was waiting patiently. He gave her a look that made her feel oddly warm. Oh Agni she was really starting to lose it_. Focus Katara_, she told herself firmly. The only light in her room was a wavering candle, which at that moment decided to burn down to the end of its wick and go out. Frustration welled into her. She felt around blindly for the spark rocks and extra candles she kept.

"It's okay," Zuko called out to her, and ignited a small flame in his palm, "I got it." Katara saw his features light up in the glow of the fire and that warm feeling perpetrated through her being again. _The _enemy_, Katara, that's the _enemy, she reminded herself.

"Alright Zuko, let's see where the problem is…" she said softly, coming around to kneel behind him on the bed. She placed her finger tips hesitantly at his temples and let the water flow around his head. Katara winced as she found the blocked chi paths.. She hadn't meant to go as far as block them completely… She took a deep breath. Time to fix the damage. It was a miracle that Zuko had woken up at all on his own. The water began to glow an eerie blue as it healed the abused tissue in Zuko's brain. The dancing Fire in Zuko's hands and the gleam of the blue water cast strange shadows across the room. It would have been beautiful if not for the tension that made the very air in the room seem stale. Katara began feeling immense amounts of guilt.

"Can I ask you something?" he said softly.

"…mmhhmm," was Katara's replied, her focus mainly on the injuries.

"What…what did you do to me? One second I was looking at you and the next…it all just went black…" his voice drifting off. Katara paused in her healing.

"I cut off the blood flow to your brain for a moment," she replied almost inaudibly. It was one thing to know what you've done has caused someone inexplicable brain damage, it was another to admit it out loud. She saw him clench the sheets of her bed.

"Oh…okay." He finally answered. After another ten minutes of extreme healing, Katara finally heaved a big sigh and pushed herself away from him.

"You're done. Back to your average psychotic self," she said, with barely any venom. The fatigue was beginning to wash over her and her eyes were starting to close without warning. Zuko turned to face her, alarm shooting through him. She felt herself beginning to fall. When Zuko lifted her limp form and laid her down on the bed, she didn't even complain, which spoke mountains about the extent of her fatigue. She heard him laugh softly and kneel down to whisper into her ear.

"Katara, I think you're wearing your dress backwards." She heard the sound of the door click as he left and the thud thud of his feet as he walked back to his room. For some reason, after he left, the room felt oddly empty.

* * *

**A/N: **I'm SORRY. short chapter. Anyway, reviews, please? I love the feedback more than you know.

This chapter was written to the song Move You by Anya Marina.


	8. Chapter 8: Changes

**Chapter 8: Changes**

_"I'd like to think I'm the mess you'd wear with pride," - Band of Horses, I Go to the Barn Because I Like the_

* * *

Katara was in bed well past sunrise and hadn't come out of her room even as the day approached noon. Aang was quite frankly, shocked out of his wits. Katara was always up by dawn, always cooking or cleaning or working in one way or another. This was unnatural. This was…un-Katara.

He fidgeted all the way through his morning routines with Sokka ("Twenty more reps of that and you'll be so toned, the ladies'll drool all over you.") He honestly didn't see much progress in that particular department. The only lady he was interested in was Katara. Every time he thought about the way Katara would mother him about the way he dressed or how he had a bit of last night's dinner stuck to the corner of his mouth made him bristle all over. He wasn't some kid she needed to protect.

He saw that. Why didn't she? He was the Avatar for crying out loud. Sokka noticed his sulking and pointed it out.

"No…I just…nothing, it's nothing," he replied nonchalantly. Sokka gave him a meaningful look that said something along the lines of 'I know that feeling bro' and returned to his rather pathetic chin ups. After that grueling routine with the water-tribe boy, Aang began his earth-bending session with Toph.

"Come on Twinkle toes, put your back into it," Toph yelled over him as he struggled to lift a boulder. He grunted and dropped it.

"I'm TRYING," he retorted. Toph was taken aback. Aang was always quiet. No matter how much she egged him into an argument. He was always cool and collected. Him retaliating was unnatural. It was…un-Aang.

"Alright Aang," she began, using his name for once, "No need to get your underwear in a bunch." Aang was surprised. So surprised that he lost his sulky mood for a moment. At that moment, Katara walked into the room and the Aang's heartbeat skyrocketed. Toph felt this and sniffed with disdain. What exactly made the air-bender so _damn_ excited about Sweetness.

"K-Katara, wow, you sure slept in late," Aang stuttered out. Katara was rubbing the sleep from her eyes and looked around with pink tinging her cheeks.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, I should've been up earlier, I just…I don't know, I surprised myself…" she finished lamely. Toph felt her heartbeat speed up. A smirk tugged at her lips. Sweetness was hiding something.

"Leave her alone Twinkle Toes, it's about time Sweetness stopped being so up-tight," she remarked slyly. Katara gave her a small smile and then turned around to begin her yoga stretches. Now _where _was Sparky?

* * *

Zuko was worried. Sure, he'd had a brain-splitting headache the other day, but he could have dealt with it. But he'd show'd up at Katara's doorstep almost literally begging for her to heal him. The girl probably thought he was so pathetic that she might as well heal him. And then she'd literally collapsed into her bed.

The Prince ran his finger tips over his temples, remembering her cool hands running circles around his head. He sighed remembering the look on her face as she'd fallen into the clutches of sleep. She'd looked almost wistfully happy. Was it right for him to be jealous? To be envious that she never looked anything _near_ that when she was around him? Of course he was only jealous because he cared about her…as a friend. Yes. That's why his thoughts kept turning to her.

The way she swept her long hair over her shoulder. The way she'd probably thrown on her clothes and so forgotten to properly fasten the buttons, letting the gleam of the dusky skin at her throat show. A friend. And although she didn't think of him as one, he'd prove himself to her, because the girl with the blue eyes full of hatred haunted him in his sleep.

Zuko had been awake since dawn, a habit not unusual for a firebender. Rising with the sun was as natural to him as fire-bending itself. He'd stayed in his room though, much too flustered by his integration into the group to initiate any conversation or banter with the Gang. So he stayed in his room, wishing that this awkward phase would just pass already.

That's when his door was knocked clear off its hinges. A cloud of dust swirled up in its midst and Zuko jumped up from his perch on his bed and was immediately in his fire-bending stance. He coughed and tried to make out the figure that stood against the now empty door frame. He saw a black silhouette and then he noticed just how _short_ that silhouette was. He loosened up and a small smile tugged at his lips.

"You could've just knocked," he called out.

"I like to keep people on their toes," Toph countered. She stepped through the cloud of debris and stood in front of Zuko, "So were you going to stay in here all day then?" she questioned him.

"Is it wrong that my answer is yes," Zuko replied slowly. Toph smirked.

"Nope, not at all. You should know that I won't let you though, so better luck next time Sparky," she jeered. And then she grabbed the Prince's hand and half-dragged half-pulled him into the Temple Commons where the rest of the gang was lounging around. "No need to be a stranger Zuko," she finally told him softly, before turning to Aang, "I told you I want those boulders all the way across the cliff-side by the time I got back, that's not even half way!"

Zuko sat down in the lotus position some means away from the cluster of kids. He caught the earthbending boy with the moustache staring at him a few times with that boy in that strange contraption. They regarded him like a wild animal, its okay to watch from a distance, but don't come any closer, and don't under any circumstances engage in anything that may rile it up.

Zuko closed his eyes and tried to meditate. His mind was so cluttered. His thoughts were being barraged by stress and images of dusky skin and gleaming blue. He took a deep breath through his nose, his eyebrows knitting together as he tried to clear his mind. When he opened them, out of his peripheral vision, he caught a pair of cerulean eyes looking at him surreptitiously. And there she was, the waterbender, sitting some ways away, against a giant ornate pillar carved with airbending sybols.

The Prince turned to look at her and tried to catch her gaze but she turned away. _Agni_, why wouldn't she even look at him? He felt his heart thrum in anticipation of her reaction to his spur of the moment actions last night. He hadn't meant to move her. He wouldn't touch her without her permission. Ever. She'd just looked so uncomfortable…the only thought in his mind had been to make it easier, to take away the discomfort, to help her. She'd probably been offended or something. Zuko groaned. Why did everything between them have to be so complicated?

He saw Toph turn towards him. Her eyes hesitated at a spot about a foot above his head and widened in surprise. She then turned towards Katara with the same expression. She turned back with a devious grin and returned to her training with Aang. _What was that about_, Zuko thought in confusion. _Whatever._ He closed his eyes again and tried again to remember all the lessons Uncle had taught him about women. Why hadn't he paid more attention?

When he opened his eyes, he found the spot where Katara had been sitting to be empty. Panic seized up in his throat. _Where was she?_ When he spotted her climbing up the stairs to the balcony, relief coursed through him.

Wait, this was his chance. He could explain to her that he hadn't meant to touch her, he'd just been stupid, something. Anything. He jogged to the stairs and caught sight of Sokka in a corner with his shirt off and his scrawny chest jutting out as he tried to do push ups. Zuko repressed a shudder. Thank Agni that Uncle had always made sure he was in shape.

He bounded up the stairs trying to formulate some sort of apology. He had a basic idea of what he was going to say when he finally reached the top-but then he saw her. Zuko lost his train of thought. She stood there, the afternoon sun drenching her skin in an ethereal glow, even with her back to him, he saw her profile, with her eyes closed and her blue water tribe dress billowing behind her. Katara was…beautiful. She turned at the sound of his approach, and stared daggers at him. Oh how her gaze pierced his heart.

"What do you want," she spoke sharply. Zuko blinked, gaping slightly. She gave him a look of disgust but when he returned to his own mind, Zuko noticed that it looked forced. She was trying so hard to hate him. And that meant her mind was changing. A grin began to spread across his face. Progress. "Are you just going to keep standing there, grinning like an idiot, or are you going to tell me what you want?" Katara snapped.

"Oh, I just wanted to see if you were okay…and apologize for last night…I didn't know much it would drain you. If I'd known I wouldn't have asked," he got out stiffly, "Thank you for healing me." And so Zuko did a formal bow to her and began to walk away.

"Wait, Zuko," Katara called, he stopped and turned slowly, "Why did you _really_ come here? I know you better than to think you'd waste your time thanking me," she finished, "Whatever you want to ask, spit it out." Zuko was on the verge of bursting out into an angry rant. He could feel his temper rising. But he took a deep breath. This girl was impossible.

"Look, I know you said you would never forgive me. But that doesn't mean that I won't respect you and be grateful for having you around. And if that doesn't convince you that I'm on your side, then maybe I should just get used to your distrust, because believe it or not, I'm gonna be around for a while. So maybe you should just drop this whole hate act, because maybe I deserve it, but I deserve a _damn_ chance," he burst out in desperation. And this time he walked away from her without turning back.

* * *

**A/N: **Angst is just so beautiful :S Thank you for the review of the last chapter, my wonderful lone reviewer. There was only one of you, so you know who you are.

13 Reviews guys. Thanks so much :D

Next chapter comes out if you guys bring that number to 20.

So review? Please and thank you(:

Wrote this chapter to the song Three Wishes by The Pierces.


	9. Chapter 9: Miles to Go

**Chapter 9: Miles to go**

* * *

_But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep._

_Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, Robert Frost._

* * *

Katara didn't speak to Zuko for a long time after that day on the balcony.

He didn't even glance at her anymore.

She woke up every day feeling strangely empty.

* * *

Zuko was exhausted. Training the Avatar was a lot more work than he'd thought. For one thing, Aang was incredibly talented. He picked up every form, every technique he threw at him. He was lucky that way.

Whenever Zuko remembered the time he'd had to learn the basics of fire-bending, he'd wince almost unknowingly. At the age of ten, his attempts to make his own fire were still incredibly pathetic. Of course Azula had been able to create her own lightning by the time she was ten. She was a natural.

But Zuko? He'd had to work for every inch of progress he'd ever made. He'd spent hours training and perfecting his stances and forms. He'd been burned countless times and then Azula would prance into his training room and do whatever he was doing with an obnoxious ease. In a way, the young Avatar reminding him of his sister, and that made him burn with an envy that he hadn't felt in years.

"_Your sister was born lucky. You were lucky to be __**born**__."_

He shuddered inwardly and thought of his family, wondering vaguely, that if his father hadn't been such a power hungry monster…maybe just maybe…his mother would still be around. Thinking of his mother made his thoughts turn back to the water-bender.

_Damn it_, he cursed himself. He'd been training himself to ignore all thoughts of her. It was obvious that she was never going to warm up to the idea of having him around, and honestly, it hurt to see the way she narrowed her eyes when she looked up at him, like she was re-living the way he'd snarled at her in Ba Sing Se when Azula had told him to choose between his Uncle and them, and the Fire Nation.

* * *

"_Zuko, you can choose us. You could help us take down the all the evil in your nation. You could be a __**hero**__." Katara implored. Zuko just stared at her, his eyebrows knitting together. He saw the desperation in her eyes and he felt a sinking feeling in his stomach-and promptly shoved it away. He turned away from those eyes brimming with hope. He couldn't afford to turn back now._

_No. Father would welcome him home with honor. Just thinking about Father finally accepting him, finally being a part of his life, made him push all the thoughts he'd had when he'd been alone with water-bender. He could have run away with her. He could have joined her and her group and tried to plan an Invasion against his own nation. He could've done anything, as long as those blue eyes looked at him with that same look of acceptance, the way they didn't even blink at the sight of his scar._

"_Pah, Are you gonna listen to the little water-tribe peasant, Zuzu? She's kind of cute, all fired up like that, hmm, you could have been a great fire-bender, peasant," and then Azula spat fire ten feet into the air, making the water-bender jump back, startled. She grinned wickedly. "So what'll it be, Zuzu? Treason, or Honor?" she smirked. Azula began sizing up the small airbender monk who stood with his teeth gritted throughout. She gave him a quick look that said something along the lines of, __**the avatar's mine.**__ Dai Li agents scampered closer and he glimpsed a spark of fear in his wide grey eyes. Zuko closed his eyes briefly, accepting his choice, and then he spun on his heel, too fast for anyone to realize what he was doing, threw himself into a spinning kick in the air, and attacked the water-bender girl._

* * *

The way he'd fought her, blow for blow, and been almost blissfully happy to be back in his place, at Azula's side, on his father's side made him want to shout himself hoarse. How could he have been so _pathetically_ naïve? He was trying to make it easier on her, this whole transition, so he spared her the view of his disfigured face and ignored the pangs his heart gave each time he caught a flash of blue out of the corner of his eye. Zuko was used to giving up the things he wanted.

"Umm, Sifu? Is that supposed to be happening?" Aang piped up, disrupting his thoughts. Zuko looked down to see his clenched fist burning a hole through the leg of his pants. He quickly cooled himself down.

"And that…er…is an example of what happens when you overheat. Which is why it's very important to keep your head cool and your thoughts under control," Zuko improvised. Aang gave him a scrutinizing look but turned back to his hotsquats without further comment. "Alright, just keep that up. I'll go grab us something to eat," he offered, rather desperate to be by himself for a moment.

And with that, Zuko ducked into the corridor. He jogged into the small porch that Katara used as a kitchen, wary for any sight of the water-bender herself. When he saw no sign of her, he swiftly lifted the lid of the pot off and the smell of _jook_ hit him like a speeding train. Images of Uncle being led away in chains. Images of Uncle looking up at him through dirty locks of grey hair. Images of Uncle. _Uncle_.

Zuko cradled the bowl he'd been holding to his chest, and slid down the wall. The thoughts made his heart throb in a painful way, every beat pumping guilt further and further into his limbs, pinning him down in his position. He put his head on his knees, and took a deeb breath through his nose and then tilted his head back, leaning back, and closing his eyes, trying for the umpteenth time, to clear his mind.

That's when he heard soft lithe footsteps and before he had a chance to even properly stand up, the door was flung open and there stood the waterbender in all her glory, her hair loose and messy and even her robes crumpled.

Her eyes were blazing and she didn't seem to notice him. She slumped against the door.

Then after a moment she seemed to register the fact that Zuko was on the overhang with her. She did a little jump and put a hand to her breast and before she had a chance to say a word, Zuko was at the door, trying to slip through. She put her hands on her hips in a very Katara way, and stood between him and his way out.

"What, you think you can just sneak in here and grab a snack any time you want?" She began.

"Actually I—" Zuko tried to interject, but Katara was on a roll.

"We all have carefully calculated rations, and just because some of us are Princes, and are used to get everything they want, we can't make any exceptions. So next time, just throw our supplies off of a cliff, why don't you?"

"I just wanted—" He tried again, but to no avail.

"Of course you just _wanted,_ Prince _Zuko _of the _Fire Nation_, of course you just _wanted_ on a _whim_ to probably scarf down our last supply of food that's supposed to last us this whole month. Of course with your past, your wants and needs are very far apart and different. For example, you _need _a _GODDAMN_ HAIRCUT," she blurted, her voice rising. Her shoulders were shaking and her hair had fallen over her face. Her eyes were still blazing, but Zuko saw that her hands were shaking. He realized that she was close to hysterics.

"Katara," he said, his voice soft, reasoning, "What's wrong?" She looked at him like he'd slapped her.

"Nothings wrong Zuko. Nothing _you_ need to worry about," she growled, "Now if you'll excuse me." She pushed past him. He caught her shoulder. He saw her jaw working. And then Zuko realized something. Over the past two weeks since he'd first arrived and started avoiding Katara, he hadn't noticed her eating, not _once. _Of _course. _She'd said something about food, right? She'd been cutting down her rations. Obviously with the new addition to the Gang, the food they had wasn't enough. And there he'd been, night after night, downing everything on his plate, not even bothering to look at her. She looked at the hand on her shoulder like it was something incredibly alien.

"Are you going to let me go, or do I have to put an ice blade to your throat?" she susurrated.

"You haven't been eating right." He countered. It wasn't a question. She glared at him defiantly.

"What do _you_ know. You haven't even looked me in the eye since you got here," she responded. Guilt etched itself onto Zuko's features. Obviously his approach with her hadn't worked.

"So you plan on starving yourself to death? I know a lot of different ways to die that are a whole lot less hassling," he susurrated. She pouted, narrowing her eyes into her classic 'I don't like you' look that Zuko had become so familiar with.

"Things are hard…I don't need anyone else fretting about the food. We've got so many other things to worry about. Haru and the boys are trying to come up with different bombs and things that they could use as weapons, and Sokka and Toph are drawing up different routes and strategies for the invasion and honestly I don't think Sokka is over losing our dad and Aang has been having a hard time getting over the failure at the Invasion and…maybe if I could just take food off the list of everyone's worries…maybe I'd make a difference…" she whispered, looking down with an embarrassed expression. She suddenly whipped her head up and stared at Zuko in disbelief as if she couldn't believe she'd just admitted that to him.

Zuko looked at her with equal disbelief. _Oh Katara. Stupid, Wonderful, Katara. _She was actually planning on continuing her fast until the food stores were at their bare minimum. He turned to face her and found his eyes wandering. His gaze traveled down to her wrists which looked rather frail and thin.

"Come on," he suddenly said gruffly. Pulling her arm and sitting her down on a small stool. He hurriedly piled as much_ jook_ as he could into a bowl, shoved a spoon into the watery rice, and handed it to her. "Eat."

"Excuse me? Have you not been _listening_? Food is kind of a big deal right now so I'd rather not stuff my face, thanks," She said sarcastically in a way that would have made Toph proud.

"Eat," was all Zuko said in reply. Katara harrumphed and stood up quickly. She immediately put a hand on the wall behind her to brace herself.

"You know, I could just freeze you to that chair over there and leave," she threatened. Zuko snorted.

"Katara, you can hardy stand. You want me to believe that you'll be able to fully water-bend? We both know you're bluffing. Stop being a child and eat," he growled. Zuko was getting sick of her antics. The girl needed to put _something_ in her system. To his surprise, she acquiesced. She snatched the bowl from his hand and began scarfing down the food in a way Zuko had only ever seen her brother eat. Satisfied he stood some feet away, planning on making sure she finished every drop.

"…Thanks," she mumbled, in between spoonfuls. Zuko nodded in return, because he'd do this everytime, every_day_ that she didn't eat. "So were you just planning on jumping me here or…" she let her voice trail off.

"No I was actually getting Aang and myself something to eat…" he replied quietly. There was a bit of rice on her chin and she stuck her out pink tongue to nip it up. He watched her studiously, feeling warm somewhere behind his navel. He shook his head briefly to clear his mind. "While we're here anyway, how'd you learn that thing you did with me, when you saw me in the forest?" he asked.

Her face clouded over. "I just picked it up," she said shortly. Zuko would've let it go, but now he was curious.

"You can tell me, I won't tell anyone," he promised. Katara sighed and put down the spoon. She slurped the remnants from the bowl and licked her fingertips slowly, making soft sucking noises. Zuko gulped and tried to soothe the fire that had burst in him. _Control, Zuko_, he scolded himself.

"If you really want to know…it's complicated," Katara was looking at her empty bowl, her mind anywhere but there.

"I can keep up," he insisted, pulling up a seat next to her.

"No it's not that, it's hard to listen to," she gave him a meaningful look.

"Katara, tell me or else I'm not letting you out of this room," he set his ultimatum half-heartedly. Her mouth almost turned up in a half-smile but then it faltered.

"Just remember, you asked for it," She looked at him briefly through her eyelashes, and then began to explain, "It was the middle of night, back when we were in Ba Sing Se…and I was taking a walk. Everyone else was sound asleep so I just crept out and decided hey, might as well. But then, I got lost. And suddenly, I felt like I'd gone blind…" she paused here and took a shaky breath, "I'd only had that feeling once before, back in the North Pole when Zhao messed with the moon. I'd walked out during a lunar eclipse. They happen every so often but I'd never been so unprepared…And I collapsed on the street. I was at a strange district and there was no one on the streets. And I think I almost fell asleep there…But then I heard a bunch of loud jeers and these men cornered me," she shuddered and Zuko was appalled as he heard her. Of all the things that could happen to her…he curled his fingers into fists and listened on, "They tried to…" she paused again and he saw her wave vaguely in the air with trembling fingers, "but I fought them off, I could have taken them with my bending but ya know, lunar eclipse and all," she added bitterly, "…and then I was pinned down by these huge men, but I was starting to get my strength back, my bending was right there, at the verge of my abilities but just still out of my grasp…so I went along with it…what they were doing, I told them…that I _would_…so they let me up. But then this one man didn't trust me, so he held onto my arms, and even after I could feel the water surging around me, I couldn't _bend_, not with my arms and legs pinned like that," she closed her eyes, as if reliving the moment, "so I put my hand on his forehead, and I could feel the blood rushing through his veins, every drop of water in them, and I did what I did with you, I just stopped everything in him. And just like that he dropped like a sack, and I was free…" she glanced at him, a big smile plastered across her face, "So there you have it folks, the story of how the water-bender learned to incapacitate."

Zuko was livid. He saw Katara say something afterwards, but he didn't hear anything that made sense. His vision swam with red and he could feel the room heat up by at least twenty degrees.

"THEY DID _WHAT? _FILTHY FUCKING VAGRANTS. IF I EVER FIND THE SICK BASTARDS THAT DID THAT, I PROMISE TO AGNI," Zuko stopped suddenly, lowering his voice dangerously, "I'll rip their hearts out." He glowered at the floor as Katara looked on at him with an expression that he recognized after a second of disbelief as understanding.

"I guess I should thank you for that but I mean its not like you'll ever find them… I don't even remember what they looked like…But hey it's the gesture that counts," she finished her voice dripping with sarcasm. Zuko brushed off her comment. He knew she was just being so harsh to protect herself. She was hurting inside. And he'd put an end to that. Permanently.

"What happened to you is unacceptable," he said gruffly, whirling to face her. He noticed as the breath caught in her throat. Some part of him, some very dishonorable part of him, was smiling ear to ear at the thought that he'd made her nervous, "I promise to you, on my honor, that will never happen to you or any other woman in my vicinity, ever again, so long as I can stop it," he vowed. Katara looked slightly touched.

"That's…wow. Okay. Thanks Zuko," she looked at him in surprise.

"You're welcome…Just keep eating, okay?" he looked at her earnestly, "We need you around, and you starving to death isn't something we should have to add to our list of worries either," he reasoned and began to duck inside, Aang had been waiting for a while.

"Wait, Zuko…" Katara called out.

"Yeah?"

"Remember how you told me to drop the act and just give you a chance?" Zuko nodded mutely. She looked at him and gave him a small smile.

"Consider it done."

"What? That's…Great!" Zuko exclaimed. He crossed the room and pulled the water-bender into a tight hug. Her eyes widened and immediately he began to retreat, afraid he'd pushed her too far, but then he felt two thin arms snake around his stomach and hug him back, albeit hesitantly. He let go first, feeling oddly shy.

"You're welcome…Just don't cut me out, okay?" Katara spoke softly, looking him square in the eye, "I didn't want to admit this to myself earlier…but I might need you around too, and you avoiding me just might make me throw a brick at your head." She turned back to the pots and pans and began her process of cleaning and cooking. When Zuko made it back to Aang, the boy was fast asleep on Appa's tail. Zuko didn't have the heart to wake him up. _You're going soft, Zuzu_, he could almost hear Azula's voice echoing in his head. No, he was drowning. Zuko was drowning in that water-bender's blue eyes…and he liked it.

* * *

Katara was strangely cheery the rest of that afternoon. She didn't let Zuko see it. Of course not. He was still someone to be wary of. Wary of. But not hate. No. She could firmly say she didn't hate Zuko anymore. The relationship between them was better off at this point. But she could still picture him attacking her, and some nights she still woke up, dreaming of him launching one of those fireballs he'd attacked her with, at Sokka or Toph or Aang. No. Katara was on the road to forgiveness, but she still had miles to go.

* * *

**A/N:** Okay guys, I caved. I set that review rule because I thought I could get my story a bigger audience but I think it was just more nerve-wrecking for me. I just wanted to get the next chapter out, and I couldn't. D:

So here you guys go. The next chapter, WHICH IS RATHER LONG, SO I'M KINDA PROUD OF MYSELF.

With a new format because problems. ALSO THIS STORY IS RATED M FOR A REASON. THERE **ARE** THEMES AND SUGGESTIONS.

ALSO THE PLOT HASNT REALLY COME UP YET. So far, its really just been about the angst between Katara and Zuko.

AND for my intents and purposes, lets just assume that Zuko is a fabtastic Firebending Master who HASNT been drawing his firebending from anger for the past couple years, and by doing so completely skip the part wherein Zuko and Aang go on a lovely field trip and learn about dancing dragons. Okay? Okay.


	10. Chapter 10: Love thy Enemy

**Chapter 10: Love thy Enemy**

* * *

_I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead, I lift my lids and all is born again, (I think I made you up inside my head)_

_Sylvia Plath, Mad Girl's Love Song_

* * *

Food wasn't the problem. No. Honestly? It was Katara's oncoming sense of foreboding. Of the war. Of the gang. Of not having hope.

She couldn't sleep and it wasn't something incredibly strange to her. She'd spent enough nights clutching her protesting stomach as it growled in hunger. She'd woken up enough mornings half-dead with exhaustion yet riled up with thoughts of the future.

The future.

Was it true that they'd have one? How? Their lives looked so bleak, so horribly dark and cold. She shuddered uncontrollably. She'd realized that her subconscious had just as much control on her water-bending as she did wide away.

When she was mad, or upset, both Sokka and Toph had complained about cold chills. She'd realized that stress on her person made her skin, her very pores, all the water in her and surrounding air's temperatures to just drop, just as it was doing now. Her fingers and toes throbbed with a cold numbness. Her water-bending was such a big part of her. It made her powerful. It made her strong.

And yet, she could do nothing. She felt _useless. _She was used to being sure of what's right and what's wrong. She was used to knowing that the Fire Nation is full of evil mother-killing bastards that would just as soon kill her as accept an offer of peace.

But now?

Confusion made her thoughts roil in her head, a restless ocean. This was all _Zuko's_ fault. She wouldn't admit it to herself but something about the brooding fire-bender made him so easy to blame, to shoulder the brunt of her hatred. And now that he'd proved himself so much more than a killing machine…she resented him.

Why did he have to go and start caring about her? And how she ate? What would it matter to him? He was _Zuko. _Sure she'd been all smiles after that hug…but she was just shocked was all. She'd just been pleasantly surprised to know he was capable of human emotion. Plain and simple surprise. Nothing else. Yet.

She wasn't supposed to remember the way his lips had turned up at the corner creating unfamiliar wrinkles. She wasn't supposed to think about how incredibly enticing his smile had been. The way his smile was higher on one side than the other. She wasn't supposed to be thinking about how incredibly warm he was, the way his chest had felt against her palms, all flat and hard.

And here she was.

Katara slapped herself.

She rolled out of her bed. And decided she had to do something. Anything. _Alright_, she thought, _Time to find some food._

* * *

Zuko couldn't sleep. He was feeling oddly jumpy. He was walking up and down the corridors and he didn't even realize it as his feet drifted towards Katara's room. He stopped in his tracks for a moment as he remembered the smell of her hair against his face and the feeling of her smaller frame pressed against him. The way her head fit just under his chin and how he could feel her heart beat against his.

These were thoughts of a man falling in a love. He knew this. And he also knew they were hopeless, unwarranted and almost pathetic. He was drowning, submerged by a river of Katara, the feeling of her skin from the brief seconds that they'd touched, the feral sounds she'd make when fighting, down to the almost cat-like mews she'd make when eating.

She was like a dragon. Full of fierce, heated, passion, and he saw himself as her opposite. Where she was full of fire, he was cold and indifferent. Where she was always bursting out with her opinions, he was drowning in his guilt. Where she was full of righteous fury, he was cold and calculating. And he adored her for it.

He wanted her passion to be just as intense and powerful for as long as he could have it. She brought out a part of him, someone that wasn't afraid or waiting on others for acceptance. She attacked his every idea, every thought, pouncing on his opinions like a cat playing with a mouse. She made him better.

So when he heard the door of her room click quietly and the soft patter of her footsteps, he was alert immediately. He broke into a jog and as he turned the corner to the hallway he caught a glimpse of a brown braid disappearing down the opposite corner. He was running now and that's when he found her saddling up Appa dressed in all black, her mouth and nose covered by a mask. She was looking around furtively. _What the hell is she doing?_

He crept out towards her. His footsteps were silent. She stood with her back to him. He reached out to tap her shoulder, in the seconds that led up to that, she whipped her head up and turned around with a fist slicing through the air. Before Zuko knew it, he was reeling back, clutching his nose and glaring up at the baffled water-bender.

"Wazzattferr!?"he yelled in indignation, his hands still holding his bleeding nose. Katara's own were over her mouth.

"Oh my Yue, I'm so sorry, I just… It was a reflex," she finished meekly. She saw him looking at her with an expression of such intensity that she failed to stifle a giggle. He glowered.

"Dishisntfummyratara!" he insisted. She laughed softly.

"Oh just get over here." She pulled him towards her, pushing his bloody hands away from his nose. She whistled. "I got you good, didn't I?" His golden gaze burned into hers as he took her jibe in silence. She pulled water from the pouch on her hip and enveloped Zuko's nose in a blue mask.

His lips opened in a gasp. Katara's wavered slightly in response. Her eyes were glowing in the light of the moon and Zuko felt himself lean in towards her. Towards those wonderfully pink lips, with the gleam of pearly teeth showing only just. And that's when a sharp crack broke the moment as Katara righted his broken nose.

_Did I…Yes, you did Zuko. You just tried to kiss a girl with your broken bloody nose, _he reprimanded and nearly kicked himself. The water fell with a splash on the ground and Katara jerked away to gather it into her pouch. Zuko coughed. Katara was looking down, a severe expression on her face. She turned only to glare openly at him, her brow knitted together, and he thought she just might strike him. She stepped closer to him, her hand raised and Zuko waited with his eyes closed for her blow. He probably deserved it.

A second passed.

Two.

Then the feel of lips smashed against his. Soft and crushing, yet insistent. They coaxed his mouth open and just like that Katara's tongue was there, sliding over his bottom lip. Zuko didn't think. He just acted. He wrapped his arms around her, vaguely aware of just how natural it felt. He moved his mouth against hers and it was so normal, so obvious that their mouths were meant to fit together, just like that. Her hands were pressed to his chest and then they started moving, grazing his stomach muscles and moving in hypnotic patterns and then suddenly, all too soon, they were pushing. He pried his lips from hers and he saw her looking at him with intense concentration.

"You _kissed_ me," she accused. Anger welled into the Prince. Was she…blaming him?

"You kissed me back," he countered. She had no reply to that. She was still looking at him with that expression. Zuko felt like he was pinned in place by her eyes.

"But you—I just—I _hate _you, Zuko" she spluttered out and turned to face Appa, who had silently stood audience to their whole episode. Her complete denial enraged Zuko. He felt like he was being betrayed.

"No you **don't**!" he yelled turning her roughly by the shoulder to face him, "You _don't _hate me. Now? You just look for reasons to hate me because the truth is," his voice lowered to a growl, "You actually _like _me," Zuko didn't know where this was coming from, but he'd started and he couldn't stop, "And that _terrifies _you." The answering look of panic that he saw in Katara's eyes made him regret speaking instantly. But she steeled herself almost immediately, and gave him a look of loaded contempt.

"Where _are _you going, anyway?" he asked, pushing on.

"I'm going grocery shopping," she replied sarcastically. Zuko stared. She didn't really think…Of course she did.

"I'm coming," he answered. And petted Appa, murmuring quietly to him, promising a bushel of apples if he'd just stay for a minute. "I'll be right back."

He returned after changing into dark tight pants, a black long sleeved tunic with a hood, and two broad swords strapped to his back. He returned to exasperated whispers of, "Come _on_ Appa, Yip Yip!" He smiled, glad that the animal had a soft spot for him.

"Someone's frustrated," he commented. She swore heavily.

"Looks like you've invited yourself on this little field trip. So hop on! Make yourself at home," she said dryly.

"I think I just might," he answered, "So what was your plan, anyway, stop at the first fire nation city you see and steal anything that looks even slightly edible?" Katara seemed very interested a strand of fur of Appa's back. The shared silence for a moment before Zuko whispered a 'yip yip' into the bison's ear and they were off. She stared at him in disbelief. He shrugged, a small smile snaking its way onto his lips.

"What's so damn funny," Katara mumbled half-heartedly, "Anyway...what's this plan of yours?" she looked up, serious. A wicked gleam shone out of the Prince's eyes.

"You'll see."

* * *

She curled her feet beneath her and played mindlessly with a couple drops of water. She felt like a child. Like she'd disobeyed and now she was being punished.

Katara wasn't a child.

She wasn't going to let Zuko make her feel like one.

So before she knew what she was doing, she pulled the fire bender back from Appa's head by the back of his shirt, swung him down onto the saddle, and pinned him down to the saddle with her hands and knees, hovering over him. All those lessons Sokka had given her years ago in hand to hand combat sure were coming in handy.

Appa groaned in concern.

"Are you out of your MIND?" he yelled over the shrill wind.

"Maybe. Now spit out this plan of yours or else I start freezing," she threatened. His face was oddly pink.

"First let me up," he said softly, his gaze burning into her. Katara didn't move. She stared back at him. He was so damn _aggravating_. Trying to get into her head. All those things he'd said about her being terrified. She _wasn't_. No. Who the hell did he think he was? And then they'd _kissed._ Her head ached and her lips felt cold.

"Fine." She backed off of him and he slowly retreated. He took ahold of Appa's reins again and didn't turn back.

"We're going to have a nice chat with a particular Fire Nation dignitary," he finally answered over his shoulder, his voice cold, and after seeing her look of surprise, added, "Trust me, the universe won't miss him."

* * *

Governor Hu was drinking late-night tea, a little ginseng and ginger to soothe his irritated throat. Big day tomorrow, the first of a new era. Fire Lord Ozai was going to officially give him the title of Major Governor of three new cities. New Ozai was already under his belt but now, three more earth kingdom cities, his to pilfer and use as he saw fit. The Fire Lord had made that very clear. A smirk spread across the Governor's face. What a fine night it was.

He was lounging in his vacation home on Ember Island. Three earth kingdom girls he'd brought in from his city lay across his enormous bed in various states of undress, sleeping, tired after all the things they'd done. He chuckled softly. This was all they were good for, really. His wife was of course back in their government home, taking care of their son. A pang of guilt rang through him as he remembered his daughter. He hadn't seen her in over a year now. She was off with the Fire Lord's crazy daughter.

He lifted himself slowly from his perch on the bed. Placing the tea on the tray and untangling himself from splayed limbs. He found himself drifting towards the small desk with pictures displayed. He took the photograph of the small girl with her hair sleek black, skin white as a sheet and expression severe. _She'd always been a rather dull girl,_ he thought emotionlessly, _If that goddamned Prince hadn't gone off and got himself banished, she could have married him and I could have become a Council Member. _The Governor cursed his luck and hurled the picture frame to the ground where it shattered with a loud crash.

"Governor Hu?" He turned to see one of the girls sitting up and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. _Oh wonderful, now I woke the whore, _he admonished himself.

"Just go back to sleep, Mai," he replied shortly, choking out her name. What a disgrace, to have slept with a whore with the same name as his daughter. The Governor shook his head. He'd talk with Madame Zilly about that next time.

"Are…Are you sure? Do you want me to help you forget about whatever's making you upset?" she asked timidly. The governor looked at her in disgust. He strode ever and struck her on the cheek and he felt the frustration begin to ebb away. She fell back onto the bed with a small whimper and didn't speak again. A feeling of satisfaction swept through the man. Oh damn he'd done it again. Madame Zilly always made such a fuss about treating the girls right. He quickly shoved a couple of gold pieces into the girl's open blouse. That should keep her quiet. He pushed aside some arms and legs and sank into the warmth of his bed, oddly content.

* * *

Katara was very irritated. She was sorely tempted to throw her water skin at the back of Zuko's head. He was just being so damn cryptic. Seriously. What was that about? He was clearly thinking very hard about _something._

She sat with her knees tucked under her chin and stared up at the sky. Riding Appa made her feel like if she reached out, her fingers would brush the stars. She looked at the moon and calculated that they had about 5 or 6 hours before sunrise. Hopefully they'd get back to the temple before the others awoke. She stared broodingly at Zuko's back, her thoughts a scrambled mess.

Her mind was racing. So she'd kissed Zuko. Her tongue had taken a little trip into his mouth. She had run her hands up and down his chest and she'd probably been a little vicious too. And there was no denying the fact that she'd liked it. She'd liked it _a lot. _And that would have been okay to deal with. She could have pushed those feelings away and forced herself to be completely and totally anti-Zuko. But then he'd kissed her back.

Damn him.

He made her question things. Things she would rather leave alone. He tested her and made her fight for anything and everything. He pulled out the worst in her and didn't even bat an eyelash.

So obviously, she had this deep-set fear that he'd leave, that he'd betray and hurt and break her. And Yue knew, she couldn't lose any more people in her life. Honestly, she needed his constant questioning. She needed those doubts he expressed that made her try so much harder. She needed him. She _needed_ him. And as she realized this, Katara pressed a fist to her lips to keep from crying out loud. How could this happen to her? How could she drop her guard so much? How could she let _him_ inside?

From the first time she'd seen him at the South Pole, to the way she saw him sitting ramrod-straight holding Appa's reins, she realized, he'd been there the whole time. His presence, his voice, his face…all of it, it had been attacking those barriers she'd set around herself, from the very beginning. And then in Ba Sing Se, when they spoke and embraced, the feel of his warm body had laid waste to parts of her psyche.

Her walls had come crashing down, and though she'd rebuilt them after that, stronger and thicker than ever, sure that no one could ever penetrate them, she didn't realize that he'd crept inside. While she was still healing, he'd dove in, and secured himself a portion of her heart, and now he stood there, hammering away at it. The final barrier. So Katara closed her eyes and let the gentle breathing of the sky bison calm her down as the Prince laid siege to her heart.

* * *

**A/N: **Not as cliffy as I thought this chapter would be. But trust me, you ain't seen nothing yet.

YAY FOR FLUFF.

Is it just me or is this chapter just screaming sexual tension.

Anyway, questions? just shoot.

And yeah yeah I know, wheres the Taang? All in good time, my friends.


	11. Chapter 11: Fieldtrips Under the Moon

**Chapter 11: Fieldtrips Under the Moon**

* * *

_Weep for yourself my man, You'll never be what is in your heart, Weep Little Lion Man, You're not as brave as you were at the start._

_Little Lion Man, Mumford & Sons_

* * *

When Zuko spotted the island, he made Appa take a sharp dive to land just behind his family's abandoned vacation home. He spared his family's old vacation home a glance. Just one.

"Now that we're here, you might wanna tell me what the hell I'm about to do," Katara said irritably, hopping off of Appa behind him.

"I was getting to that."

"Well you might want to hurry. We only have about four hours till sunrise, and we need to be out of here by then," she cautioned severely. _All right, all right_, he thought.

"I need you to be whore." _Oh Agni, that came out wrong._

"Excuse me?" She looked confused. Maybe she'd heard him wrong.

"No wait, just listen, before you get angry." She didn't say anything and gave him an accusatory look, her blue eyes boring holes into him. Zuko tried to splutter out his explanation.

"I brought us here for two reasons. One, we need food. Two, we could get ourselves some very important war info. And honestly, we need all the help we can get. So, first things first, we're here because of a certain Governor Hu. He's Ozai's right-hand man and most messages go through him and require his stamp. Because of this, he has an enormous cache of war letters and orders just sitting there waiting for us to read and use to our advantage," he explained. She nodded.

"I see. So you're saying we bust in, read some letters, steal some food, and leave?" she asked. Zuko tried his best to keep the heat from rising to his face, but he failed miserably.

"No ah see, this is the Governor's vacation home. And he comes here with," at this point Zuko gestured wildly with his hands. Understanding dawned on Katara.

"Oh." She said meekly.

"Exactly. And because of his political career, he has at least fifty guards stationed in and around his home to keep out spies. So I thought, since you—I mean because you're a girl —you could go into the house and distract him while I take out the guards," he finished. The pink tinge to his cheeks refused to go down. Katara was very quiet for an entire minute. Zuko coughed awkwardly. She finally spoke.

"You want me…you want me to _distract the Governor?_ Just what kind of girl do you _think I am_? Why don't _**you**_do the distracting and I'll go take care of the guards," she bristled in anger. Zuko kneaded his forehead with his hand. _Oh Agni, why couldn't there be some other way, _he cursed his luck.

"I don't know if you realize…but we are right in the middle of Fire Nation territory. What we need to do is a quick grab and go. I know exactly how these kinds of guards fight. And even though I have no doubt that you could take them, we just can't afford to be showy right now," he explained, picking his words carefully, "Just tell him that Madame Zilly sent you…Besides, all I meant is that maybe you could knock him out with your water-bending," he added, his cheeks flushing. Katara didn't seem to be listening to this final part.

"SHOWY? You think I'm _SHOWY?_" She stepped forward and jabbed a finger in his face, "Listen here _Prince_ Zuko, if I'm so damn _showy, _maybe you should do this your way, and I'll do it mine." And then Katara whirled around, her hair whipping over her shoulder and began to walk away. _Stupid. I'm so stupid._

"Katara! Come on, be reasonable, I need to get a hold of the Governor's military data. Maybe with it, we can actually go into this whole war with some cards on _our _side." The water-bender stopped in her tracks. She spun on her heels slowly.

"Alright," she finally relented, and then sighed heavily, "Oh but you really should think your plans through more," she said quietly more to herself than Zuko, "I can't convince this Governor guy looking like this," she said, gesturing at her black outfit, "Of course I have to fix that," she scowled. And then before Zuko knew it, Katara was pulling her shirt lower and tying some sort of cloth around herself and even shrugging out of the leggings she wore underneath. In the seconds before the Prince had the courtesy to turn around, he caught the gleam of her thighs. She ripped the sleeves off her tuniv and then adjusted the midsection. He heard her laugh bitterly.

"Oh don't worry, Zuko, I'm decent. I just thought that maybe I should dress the part you want me to play," she said dryly, her voice a whip.

He glanced at her to see her long brown legs almost completely exposed with just some cloth wrapped around her hips and tied in the front. Her stomach was open to the air on the sides where she'd cut slits, and the neck-line was dangerously low. Zuko swallowed.

"It's a shame about your clothes," he said softly. The look she gave him threatened to leave burn marks on his skin.

"Yeah. A shame."

* * *

When the Governor heard the door-bell chime, his first thought was annoyance. And then, curiosity. None of his servants were at his summer home. Too many prying eyes and ears were never too good. So he threw on his robe and went to answer the door himself. He swung the door open to see a scantily clad girl standing.

"Hello," she said, her voice pure velvet, "My name's Kaza, Madame Zilly sent me?" She was leaning forward just the slightest amount and biting her lips in a way that made the Governor almost leap out of his robe and take her right there.

"So you're her compensation for that completely inadequate girl the other night, eh?" He looked at her like he was sizing up his prey. "You'll suffice," he growled and took her by the shoulder and steered her into his mansion, up to his bedroom without another word.

Katara only managed to get past the guards unscathed after she told them that the Governor was expecting her and would be very upset if he didn't see her. They wolf whistled at her and gave her leering looks. The resemblance of the moment to that night in Ba Sing Se during the lunar eclipse almost made her turn around and walk right out the way she'd walked in. But knowing that Zuko was standing there in the shadows gave her courage and she climbed up the grand stairs with her head held high.

* * *

As Zuko watched the scene before him unfold he could only bristle with rage. How did he ever think that this was a good idea? More than once he was tempted to race up to the girl and drape her in a large coat and take her out of the situation he'd put her in. When she got up to the door, his jaw dropped. Did Katara just seduce the Governor?

Zuko's mouth remained open for quite a few moments.

* * *

Katara was disgusted. The Governor was undressing her with his eyes and there was a carnal hunger there that she'd seen once before and it almost made her shudder.

"So, you're a water-tribe girl. Were you imported? Spoils of war?" He asked her quite seriously. She felt him come around behind her and play with a strand of her hair. Katara stiffened. "No no, relax girl, no need to be afraid," he susurrated into her ear. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She just wanted to pull the water out and take care of the creepy guy already but she wanted to try something first.

"I hear you're the strongest politician in the Fire Nation right now," she purred, squirming in his arms. The glint of pride in his eyes made her taste bile.

"Damn right I am, where'd you here that?" he asked.

"Oh," she whispered, "Word travels," she said, turning to face him and dragging a finger tip across his robe. She smelled alcohol on his breath and prayed he'd had enough to spill a few secrets.

"Obviously, I _am _the most important man this side of the country," he turned away from her, drunken pride making him putty in her hands. Katara's lip turned up at one corner.

"A man like you, you must have an _entire_ store room of," she began, beginning to trace patterns on the man's chest, "Of important documents." The way she said documents, she made it sound more like _daah_cuments. She gave the Governor her biggest wide-eyed look and bit her lip innocently and she got the desired effect immediately. His face became rather red and he seemed to be breathing harder. Katara persevered. "I wonder, would you have to work on them, during your vacation?" she spoke in a voice she didn't recognize, with low resonances of something false that she was trying so hard to convey. The Governor took the bait.

"Actually, girlie, I end up having to work during my breaks a lot more than I'd like. It keeps me from playing with my toys," he traced a finger down her cheek, "Because of that, I keep all my work locked in my office down the hallway," he was closing in on her now.

And because Katara couldn't resist making the man suffer, she put up a palm, and reached into her dress, making it appear as though she was removing her clothes. The Governor drank in her appearance greedily. And as he reached out to move the process along, Katara whipped out her water skin, and pressed two water-laden finger-tips to his temples and he was down in an instant.

The girls that lay strewn across his bed like discarded garments were asleep so Katara took care to be quiet as she left the room. With that she bolted from the area and crept down the hallway and into the Governor's office.

* * *

Zuko was confused. So he'd taken out all the guards. Big deal. They'd been rather pathetic really. He'd also left the ones that had whistled at Katara with black eyes. Oops.

Anyway, he'd gotten inside. The last time he'd been to that house, he'd visited Mai and she'd showed him around. She told him of her suspicions that her father was cheating on her mother and then she'd told him just how much she _didn't_ care about it. She'd even gone as far as naming when he'd cheat, explicitly what months abd how often and even going as far as to name the bordello he hired from. Sometimes Zuko didn't realize just how much he owed the gloomy girl.

What she hadn't done was tell him where her father's office was. Sure this was a vacation home, but he knew for a fact that vacation homes often held carts and carts of already opened letters and parcels. His had been no exception. So as he slinked through the shadows and tried to figure out how the whole damn building worked. It was nothing like the palace or the other homes on Ember Island, with great central courtyards and lavish decorations. It was just as dreary and empty as the people who had lived in it. Most of the rooms had furniture draped in white cloth and covered in cobwebs.

_Dammit, Dammit all. _Zuko thought to himself as he saw the first rays of sunrise through a sunroof. That's when he heard footsteps. He breathed a sigh of relief when he caught a flash of brown hair and skin in the darkness of the house. He strode up to Katara and grabbed her shoulder and this time, he caught her fist before it connected with his face

"Sorry," she mumbled, and withdrew from his hand, "Any progress with finding this guy's hoard of secret military information that is sure to win us this war?" she was almost teasing.

"No," he frowned, "I need to find this guy's office." She pulled a handful of letters out from behind her back and fanned them in his face.

"Dear Yue, what would you do without me," she smirked and held them out to him. "These were all labeled, 'Urgent,'" she said, pointing out a couple of the letters, "And these were sent from hawks, so they're definitely letters about the war," she pointed out some others, "and these just looked really fancy," she finished and shrugged, "I hope this helps." Zuko stared at her in disbelief. This girl was…something. He made a noncommittal sound in his throat as she glowed with pride and walked in front of him, sashaying, that's right, _sashaying_ her hips. Zuko cleared his throat.

"We should really get you something to cover up," he got out. Katara turned around and examined his facial expression and Zuko felt like she was trying to pull a reaction from him.

"Sure," she said simply, "But first, we need to get food," she said, worry clouding her features.

"Don't worry about that, I've got us covered," he shook a bag of gold in front of her face.

"Please tell me you stole that from the perv," she burst out. Zuko smiled mischievously.

"I'm not completely useless," he answered, his grin proving contagious.

* * *

The cabbage merchant had warranted a vacation. No doubt about it. So he pulled some strings and called out some old favors and managed to get special merchant permission for a ferry ride to Ember Island. There he 'd up his cabbage stall in a wonderfully quaint market place and sat back on his stool and propped his feet up on his cart and awaited his customers.

It had been only a few weeks since he'd arrived and business had been wonderful. He charged wonderfully extravagant prices and no one even batted an eyelash. He sighed contentedly. Life was good.

It was an exceptionally warm night so the merchant stripped off his nightgown and slept on his cot in just his underwear. He snuggled into his pillow and thought of how he could even make a life here. The inn's room were he was staying was wonderfully cheap, the girls were beautiful to look at, and the weather never failed to please. Also, some air-headed playwright and given him good money for him to share his encounters with the Avatar and his gang, or as he liked to call them, cabbage murderers. Before soon he was snoring peacefully.

A loud crash made the earth-kingdom citizen jerk up, dazedly. That's when he got, _the feeling_. He got it only when he knew bad things were afoot. Bad things like certain cabbage murderers. Some called him paranoid. Some even went as far as calling him insane. But he was certain that this feeling that he had, could always be trusted. So the merchant leapt out of his bed and his sense of foreboding only grew as he thrust open the door to the room where he kept his precious vegetables and found it already unlocked.

He put a hand on the wall behind him to steady himself as he saw the empty cart before him. His mind hadn't registered the sack of gold coins sitting on it yet. He just gazed broken-heartedly at of couple forgotten trampled cabbages that lay strewn across the floor like so many green corpses. He ran out of the inn, all tears.

"MYYY CABBBAAGGGESS!" he yelled into the night, not even the slightest bit aware of his state of undress.

* * *

As they sped away on Appa, Katara couldn't hold back a small giggle as she heard the wail. She glanced once at the packs that hung behind them, securing the food.

"What's so funny?" Zuko asked.

"That guy we just robbed, he's seen a lot of bad luck when it comes to us," her eyes were a million miles away, "We'd always ruin his business. It's just funny how often I've heard him do that," she said thoughtfully. Her face suddenly sobered up. Zuko was almost sad to see that. Obviously she hadn't always been so tough. Things used to be fun for her.

"At least we paid," he replied. She snorted.

"At least," she agreed. She shivered violently and rubbed her bare legs.

"Oh I almost forgot. I snatched this for you," he exclaimed, slapping his forehead. He held out a fur coat to her. He knew exactly whose it was, and tried not to think about how he'd found Mai's old room by accident and just happened to find a coat that would fit Katara. No best leave such thoughts for a less complicated moment.

"Thanks Zuko," she said gratefully, shrugging into it. "Now I've been meaning to ask you, but how exactly did you know about this guy?" she was looking at him warily. Zuko gulped.

"It's a long story," he said shortly.

"It's a long ride," she countered. He knew, he _knew, _that Katara wouldn't stop needling him about this. He'd probably seriously piqued her curiosity. Damn it. So he decided to tell her about Mai.

She took it all in and then gave him one her silent looks, like she was trying to reach in and grab him by the heart, just by the sheer power of her eyes. Agni knew she already had him by it.

"So if you're saying that we just took a trip to your ex-girlfriends house, and I just fried her dad…" and then it clicked, "So does this mean that _I'm wearing your ex-girlfriends coat?_" She said this quietly, a deceptional quiet as it turned out. Zuko kept silent, facing the sky. "Oh, so I am," she said softly. And then she whipped the coat off and flung it at him.

"What are you doing?" He whipped around. He couldn't believe this girl.

"What am I doing? What am I _doing? __**DAMMIT **__ZUKO. WE KISSED_. And maybe that means nothing to _you,_ but I'd really rather not be wearing something your _ex_ has been _touching." _She was screaming. The wind was nothing compared to her. Her cheeks were red with anger and her eyes, _her eyes,_ they were glowing with blue fire, dawn's first lights catching on the cerulean spheres and throwing back different colors that he didn't even know _existed._ He tried not to stare at her, but the breath was catching at his throat and he couldn't look away.

"It didn't mean nothing," he finally got out, and because she looked so beautiful, her lips pouting ever so slightly and her hair a wonderful mess, he grabbed her face and pressed his lips to hers. Just to prove his point. After a few heart-stopping seconds, Katara finally responded to him, and she wrapped herself around the fire-bender, pressing as much of her cold body to his warm one. Honestly, Zuko didn't mind. He growled against her mouth and put his arms around her, enveloping her in his warmth and even raising his body temperature. Her fingers were wrapped in his hair and she was pulling him closer and closer, like she couldn't get enough. And they stayed locked in their passionate hold, and didn't break free until Appa made a terrible noise, something between a cry of pain and growl of anger. They sprung apart and surveyed the land to see the Western Air Temple coming up on their right. Zuko tried to soothe the animal when he heard Katara's sharp intake.

"Oh Yue," She whispered. Zuko turned to see what she was looking at and gasped.

"No," he snarled. There flying in between the upside down mounts of the temple was a fire-nation air ship. And there at the prow was Azula, no doubt. Smoke was rising in plumes from various roofs and an entire wall had caved. Zuko and Katara watched in growing desperation as a canon ball was flung towards the temple. The Fire Nation had found them.

* * *

**A/N: **TAANG SOON. PROMISE. And FLUFF. YAY.

Also guest appearance by the Cabbage Man because cabbages are cool.

And the ending of the chapter heehee sorry but cliffs are fun.


	12. Chapter 12: Blind

**A/N**: I may have forgotten to mention this, and so I sincerely _sincerely_ apologize, and yes I realize you probably already have a mental picture of everyone and I'm about to ruin in with this announcement: everyone in this fic is about two years older. They kind of have to be in order to do some of the things I'm planning for them to do(; And I'm so sorry if this is disorienting for you as a reader. But yes, that's the truth of this piece of writing.

* * *

**Chapter 12: Blind**

* * *

_"In the country of the blind, the one eyed man is king."_

_The Country of the Blind by H. G. Wells_

* * *

_"Sweetie? Where are you?" Toph's mother was calling. "Honey, have you seen her? I just really want to say goodbye before leaving for my trip with the girls."_

_ "No I haven't actually, why don't you ask one of the maids," Toph's father replied half-heartedly, consumed in reading his newspaper._

_ They didn't know that Toph was listening to them from behind the couch they were lounging on. She was hiding. Her mom was going on a trip. Again._

_And this time? Her mother would miss her birthday. And for 8-year-old Toph, this was just too much. So she hid, angry and confused with her life. But hearing the concern in her mother's voice made her question her anger. Maybe her mom was really sorry she'd planned the trip on the week of her birthday. Maybe she'd make up for it somehow. Hope blossomed in her chest as she began standing up, ready to expose herself._

_ "Mother? I'm right__—__" Toph was cut off by the barking of their poodle-rabbit. _

_ "Oh there she is," Toph's mother cooed, lifting up the animal and rubbing her nose on its nose, "Bye sweetie, momma's gonna miss you," she began rubbing the poodle-rabbits stomach. Toph withered back down onto her hands and knees. "Oh, honey?" Toph's mother asked her husband. The small earthbender looked up sharply in anticipation._

_ "Hmm?" he said in return, not looking up from his paper._

_ "Buy Toph something nice on my behalf, some chocolate perhaps," she said absentmindedly. Hearing how the conversation played out made Toph feel hollow._

_She crept out of the room on her hands and knees and then she began running. She could feel her way around mostly. Everytime she heard the footfall of a guard she hid hastily. And by doing this, Toph finally left the estate through a small gap in the fence, too small for any care-taker to notice, but perfect for an 8-year-old to escape through. _

_She scrambled down the unruly countryside to the small cave where she'd first met them. Toph skidded down a slope and fell into a heap in the cave. She stayed there, sobbing silently. And that's when the badger-moles came to her. They sniffed her soundly, ensuring that she was the same person, and when they were sure, they nudged her with their noses, trying to comfort the child._

_Toph wrapped her arms around the beasts and ran her hands through silky fur. The tears that fell from her sightless eyes made no noise as they fell to the earth. _

* * *

The memories that had once haunted her seemed to be making a comeback, especially these days. Toph's stress seemed to be hell-bent on forcing all the depressing things of the past to come bubbling back up. The earth-bender huffed in annoyance. She swung herself out of her bed and threw on a tunic unceremoniously. With little care she managed to put her hair up and wash her face. For perhaps the millionth time, Toph ran her hands over her face.

She grazed the lips that, when they weren't lifted in a sneer, where actually full and soft. She traced the outline of the sharp nose that sat snugly between two high cheekbones. A finger ran over the shape of her brow and down the ridge of her nose. Nope. It was all the same. And yet when Toph tried to come up with an image of what she looked like, all those things she felt on her face couldn't translate into pictures no matter how hard she tried. Katara had tried to describe what she looked like. She'd even gone as far as calling her beautiful. But Toph knew she was lying.

Because if she was beautiful, why did Aang only ever look at the water-bender? The _stupid stupid_ little airbender who was so full of innocent puppy-love that whenever Katara was in a 15 foot radius, his heartbeat would begin jumping erratically. Of course Katara never noticed. How could she? Her hands were always full with taking care of them. She was almost always in full on Mother-mode. And although Toph would never admit this outloud, she needed Katara. She looked up to and admired her. And honestly, she was completely and entirely jealous of her.

What exactly did the Katara have that she didn't? Toph ran a hand down and across her chest. Sure enough the bulge of breasts was there, and as she ran them down further, she felt the sides of her waist dip in and then out again. So her body had changed a lot in the past year. But she knew Katara was a lot curvier than she was. Her earthbending might not give her exacts about people's features, but it did let her almost picture a person's body completely, and from what she could tell, she was a flat stick compared to the water-bender.

And this made her sigh in a way that was all too familiar.

See, Toph had always gotten what she wanted. But being blind meant that there were a lot of things in life you couldn't really enjoy. So while most of the rich children her age were begging for the more popular scrolls and art pieces, Toph didn't ask for anything. She probably could have asked for the world, and her parents would only have to raise a finger for an apron-sporting servant to come scurrying over, holding it on a tray. But she didn't want the world. And it turned out that the one thing she wanted most was something she would never get.

And that was her parents' love.

Sure they showered her in candies and wonderful smelling soaps and scents. But they never even sat down to tell her a story. Or read from a book to her. One could say they just were too busy, but that would be the words of the delusional. _Remind you of any delusional kids_? Toph thought to herself, because those were once the words she said to herself. She'd chant them over and over, her own personal mantra. _They're too busy, Toph, They're too busy, much more important things to do, they're just too busy…_

Who was she kidding? She'd been trying to console herself back then when the truth was, her parents never wanted her. She was something to hide. Something to pretend didn't happen, to lock away and promptly dispose of the key. And the older she got, the more she understood and the more she folded in on herself, feeling starved of things she would never know, starved of the things that all children should have, embraces and big sincere smiles and wide open welcoming arms. Starving and deprived…

Until she started earthbending.

That's when life got a whole lot more interesting. When she finally mastered her earthbending, she'd been able to sneak out more often and more efficiently. She could feel…everything. It was a brand new sense and it had made her feel powerful. And suddenly, she wasn't helpless. This made her strong. It made her unbreakable.

Toph shook her head. This wasn't the path she needed her thoughts to go down. She sat down on her cot for a moment, lifting her legs up and off the floor. And just like that, her world was black. So she stayed like that for a moment, breathing deeply through her nose in the darkness and only when her thoughts didn't stray any further from her plans for Aang later that afternoon, did she place her feet back on the floor. And with that, she felt the flood of different vibrations and images return and make the blackness she lived in, vibrant and full of movement. A sad smirk lifted her lips up. _You're losing it Toph, _she chided herself,_ get back in control. _And with that, the earthbender swallowed the feelings that were rising up in her. She pushed the flood down and thrust them further and further until they were out of her head and out of her way. And they were. For the moment.

The earthbender stood up, her face a wall of stony impassiveness, and began to open her door. And that's when the world exploded.

* * *

Aang didn't sleep that night. His thoughts were a chaotic mess. Why? Because of Katara. And although Aang didn't want to admit, she was the one that made his head spin and his thoughts wrestle each other into oblivion.

She was a goddess.

When Aang had stopped in the Earth Kingdom with the other monks, all only ten with just a sullen old head monk to guide them, to make the pilgrimage from one temple to the other and back again, they met an old earth-kingdom nomad. He told the airbenders stories of how the spirits once walked the earth. They walked amongst the people, benders and and non-benders alike. And once in a while, these spirits would fall in love with people and when they did, that person would gain otherworldly powers, born from the strength and passion of spirit love. And these people would become a different kind. These people became gods.

And as Aang thought of Katara, he could only feel as though she was his own personal goddess. Blessed by the spirits and always surrounded by a surreal glow, like she was a piece of the moon itself.

So the airbender's mind flooded with images of her and it was well into the night when an errant thought struck him. Katara hadn't talked to him for a while. Those deep conversations that they had, those intense thoughts and realizations they shared, were a thing of the past. And so Aang felt a sense of longing delve into his heart.

That's when he remembered the glances. They were short and they were few, but they were full of a fire. And that fire made him shudder and feel warm in places that he knew were never befitting for a monk.

And those glances were always directed at Zuko.

Jealousy seized the airbender like an autumn wind catching a leaf. It tossed and turned him around and brought his rage to a fiery simmer, and in the monk's defense, he never even had a chance.

And for that moment the airbender was consumed by thoughts of hurt and betrayal. He rolled out of bed and clenched his fists as he decided to talk to Katara, first thing that morning. He sat down in the corner of his modest room and begin meditating. This was the only thing that would clear his mind.

And then vibrations shook his world and Aang knew almost immediately that they were under attack. He leapt to his feet, ready to take defense against the barrage when he heard the scream of a girl. It was raw and sounded so unfamiliar in his ears that Aang knew in that second that it was Toph. And as blind rage simmered into him at hearing his friend's terrified cry, all he knew in that moment, was that he would never let anyone make her scream like that again. He couldn't.

* * *

Why couldn't he understand? She only did all this to protect him. He should be _grateful_. And yet he'd left. He'd betrayed them all again. _Stupid Zuzu._

_Always letting his head get in the way._

He should have known better. He should have seen that now, the Fire Nation would still win, and he would die a traitor.

Now here she was, the one to carry out his death sentence.

And a pang of longing ran through her.

Sure during their childhood, she'd always tortured and ruined things for him. But the only reason for that was he always retaliated in fire and anger. And that made her feel unbelievably accomplished.

Every scathing jibe he sent her way, every miserably failing fireball he threw at her, every expression of his hate, was just another testament of her success at spinning him around in circles.

So when he left? She had felt empty.

He had that effect on people. Making them feel full and vibrant with his strength and fire. The way the people he met could swear he had burned right through them, filling them up during his brief contact, warmth and heat seeping through his eyes, and the when he left, it would feel like all you were was this hollow charred body. That somehow, Zuko had taken the fire you had, all the warmth and wonderful feelings with him. And now you were dead inside.

Azula knew that feeling only too well.

_Mother always did love him best_, she thought forlornly. And she thought of how her mother had cherished Zuko's inner fire. She'd poured her heart and soul into it. Making it strong and making it powerful.

Mother had rarely spoken to her.

Then, she spotted the Fire Nation balloon littered in the woods like so much garbage, and after some quick surveying of a map, she discovered that there was an air temple mere minutes from there. So she gave an order at the captain to steer the air ship around, and within minutes they were flying above a valley. She could see for miles in every direction but where was the temple? Realization dawned on her.

"Go down," she barked.

"But Princess, if we go down at this altitude, the air currents could—" Azula gave the captain a minute to realize who he was arguing with. "Of course, Princess, at once."

In seconds, the air ship was flying in between the enormous upside down pillars and rooftops of the Western Air Temple.

As Azula thought of her plans to blast the place out of the sky that same longing swept through her, followed by a burst of anger. She was actually hesitating in her mission because of that—that _traitor._ Azula raised a hand and ten soldiers scrambled to her side. She jerked her wrist and the soldiers gasped. They knew that signal. And they feared the result of it. If it was true that the Avatar was in that temple…they had all heard too many stories about how he could cheat death, and it was this fear that made them falter.

But a few more level-headed ones threw themselves together and began shouting orders. In moments, twelve flaming canon balls were launched at the temple. As each one struck, they made very satisfyingly loud crashes. Azula smiled. But then the thought of the gang surviving the assault by escaping on that abominable flying animal made her smile fade.

"No matter what, don't stop firing," she snapped at the captain, and then she leapt up and out of the airship, using the momentum of it to fling her onto the ledge that the temple hung from in a feat that would have shamed even the most accomplished circus acrobat. Below her, the captain gaped open mouthedly. Azula turned to glare at him.

"Forgetting something, are we?" she said in a deceptively cool voice. The captain shut his mouth and hastily stammered out some orders. _That's better._

She swung her feet back and forth like a pendulum, hanging from the edge of the cliffside, and then she let go, curling herself into a ball, rolling into the open temple commons. An explosion rocked the pillar to her right and as debris fell into her path, Azula let out a breath of fire, turning it all to ash before it even reached the ground. She stepped over the ashes and began the search for her brother. She'd take out him and the Avatara and all their little buddies, one by one.

She'd put out his fire.

It was for his own good.

But first she needed leverage. And as Azula saw more evidence of inhabitance, she delved deeper into the temple until she finally came to a hallway of doors that seemed like small dormitories. She kicked open the first two only to find cobwebs and spiders. She came to a third that said quite boldly in charcoal 'Keep Out'. Azula had never been one for following instructions.

So she rubbed her palms together with zeal and gathered into her hands a small ball of fire. She pressed it in closer and closer until she almost couldn't take the pressure and then she released it at the door. She smirked as it splintered like so much paper and burst backwards. She heard a shriek and her smirk grew wider. _Finally some fun._

That's when the earthbender launched a block of rock straight at her chest. With an _oof_, Azula toppled backwards. That was it. Anger seized her like a metal fist and she smiled cruelly as she recognized the girl as the earthbender from the Invasion. _She can see,_ she remembered. But how? That's when her mind began remembering how the girl had stomped her foot every time anyone made a change in even their posture, as though she was picking up vibrations…

_Of course! She relies on her feet to see. Break her by breaking her feet, _Azula thought simply, a triumphant grin stretched across her face. She feinted to the left and as the earthbender launched a series of small daggerlike rocks towards her face and body, the Princess leapt into the air, for just a moment, but long enough to recognize the flash of confusion on the girl's face. So the girl leapt into the air once again, and this time she threw fire across the floor at the bottom of the girl's feet. Tears sprung into the earthbender's eyes as she fell to her hands and knees. She continued throwing rocks and stones at Azula, but she dodged easily. The girl was truly blind now.

She stepped over to her and after a roundhouse kick to the bender's jaw that left her dazed she swiftly snapped both of her arms and legs. The girl's screams were loud and echoed in Azula's ears as she sobbed in pain. _Perfect._ She struggled and fought but the fight was over before it even started. She hoisted the still squirming figure onto her shoulder and carried her out the door. Before long she'd be unconscious from the injuries. Azula had to hand it to her though. She was still fighting, biting and clawing with bleeding fingernails.

"Shut up, peasant," Azula scolded absent-mindedly. She was walking through the wreckage trying to find the commons again. All that commotion was sure to lure the little rodents out.

"I am not a peasant," she said hesitantly, choking out the words through bleeding gums. She spat, blood and spittle flying into Azula's carefully tied bun, "I am Toph Beifong, and I _will_ crush you," she was yelling now. _Oh ho, a little rich girl, hmm. _Azula shook her small frame roughly. The girl yelped in pain as her broken limbs were jostled. A sob shook her shoulders.

"Oh I'm so sorry Miss Beifong. Did that hurt?" she was whispering snidely, "What happened to crushing me?" She turned her attention away from the brat on her shoulder as her head began lolling helplessly. _Finally. _

So she sat down cross-legged on a small bench and awaited the rest of the gang exactly the way a lion-snake waits ever so patiently for its prey, before snapping out and swallowing it whole.

* * *

Sokka was the first person to reach the commons and Aang envied him for it. As he approached the room he saw that Sokka had Azula and swordpoint. Then as he was walking he watched as the water-tribe boy lowered his sword and kicked it over and put his palms up. Confusion throbbed in Aang and as he rounded the corner he was about to yell out in indignation when he saw what the Fire Nation had in her arms. She was holding Toph, and the tip of a small dagger glinted maliciously in the milky white skin of her neck. _Toph? Oh no._ Aang choked back a cry. He ducked back behind the corner, trying to catch what Sokka was saying to the Princess.

"I've already told you, I don't _know_ where Zuko is. His room was empty this morning when I checked," he was saying lowly. Azula laughed in his face.

"Oh alright water-tribe boy. I guess I'll just have to kill the brat then," she said with a scary glee. She twisted the knife at Toph's neck and a stream of blood flowed down and before Aang knew it, he was running out into the open shouting _stop_.

"Ahh the Avatar has decided to join us. Where's the water-bender bitch? No tricks, or the girl gets it first," she threatened.

"I _told_ you," Sokka yelled in indignation, "I don't know, her and Zuko seem to have mysteriously vanished," he raised his hands in frustration.

"Don't you dare speak to me like that peasant," she twisted the knife another notch into Toph's neck. He saw her clench her teeth. _She's pretending to be unconscious._  
"He's sorry! He's sorry! Just stop! _Please! _Just tell us what you want!" Aang was begging now. Sokka looked like he was in pain.

"That's more like it," Azula remarked, "I want my brother. Now. And I want to end him. Now you folks, you've known him for…how long? Perhaps a month or two. Do you really trust him?" She stared them down for a whole minute. "Now I'm going to offer you a proposition. My brother, for your brat," she pointed to Toph, "Now I think I'm being rather fair to you seeing as I could seize you right now Avatar and save my Father a lot of trouble. But I like to think of myself as a sensible person," she was pressing the knife deeper now, "So what will it be? Will you give me my brother? Or do I have to start killing people?" she spoke in that firm and unwavering patronizing tone that only the most skilled people could do while fire rained down from various explosions.

Aang looked at Sokka in bewildered panic and he saw a reflection of that in Sokka's eyes. He tried to think of how dishonorable it would be to give up Zuko to this monster, but all he could see was the ruby drops of blood that stood livid against Toph's pale skin. He shook his head trying to make a decision. Suddenly the fact that he could actually lose her, the fact that she might not lift those lips into a smile ever again, that she'd closed those eyes to the world for perhaps forever made Aang's head ache in desperation.

If only he could reach the Avatar state. He remembered with a pang that the reason he couldn't, was Katara. Because of his feelings for Katara, he couldn't save Toph. A sudden shame crashed through his heart, tearing through his thoughts. Because of his stupid _stupid obsession_ with Katara, he couldn't save her. And that made Aang's world feel miserably lousy as he realized, he didn't love Katara, he loved the _idea_ of her. He'd been so blind. So damn_ blind._

The idea of someone always there, protecting and taking care of him. It made him feel warm and happy inside. _But that isn't love_, he realized. _That's just compassion_. No, this sharp stinging in his heart, this painful pull that made him want to throw himself into the path of the knife to put her out of the way, this burning mountain that seemed to sit on his chest like the weight of a million worlds, that was love. And as surely as he knew this, he knew that as much as this feeling hurt, as much as it made him cringe and writhe inside, he would never let it go. So Aang turned to Azula with a newfound determination set into his features.

"No, Azula. You should know better than to think we'd willingly lose a friend. Because that's who Zuko is to us, a friend. So give it up. There's two of us, and one of you. You'll never make it out of here," Aang shouted, his voice full of authority.

"So that's how it's going to be, huh?" she said almost like a sullen child, "Fine, have it your way," she turned the knife another notch into Toph's skin, blood flowed in rivers from the wound. Aang gave Sokka a meaningful look. He nodded in understanding.

"_Now _Toph!" Aang yelled, and Toph whipped her head around and dug her teeth into Azula's arm. She yelped and dropped her, and Toph crumpled to the ground, her arms and legs bent at horrible angles. Sokka reached Azula first, having picked up his meteorite sword. He had her at swordpoint once more and she stared daggers at him. That's when she flipped over and with one kick, knocked the sword clean out of his hand.

Aang came at her with a barrage of rock and water, throwing assault after assault at her. She parried with unseen ease. He resorted finally to a spinning kick that Zuko had shown him. The flames from the kick singed the Princess's tunic as she spun in the air to avoid them. She glared at him.

"_Now_ you're going to get it."

* * *

Azula couldn't believe this. Here she was stuck in combat with the damned Avatar. She _needed_ to get to her brother. Where in Agni was he anyway?

That's when she spotted the bison flying in towards the commons. She lost her focus for a moment and the Avatar managed to burn her royal overlay. She yelled at him and began launching into various attacks, until it was all he could do to defend himself. The silly water-tribe boy wasn't in her line of sight, and she realized that he could easily be behind her. And when she spun on her heel, sure enough, he'd been trying to sneak up on her. She roared in anger and flames began consuming his trousers. He yelped and proceeded to try and beat them out. _That should keep the peasant busy. _

So Azula skillfully ducked the attacks of the monk and maneuvered over to where the earth-bender lay. She deftly lifted the girl's body and shielded her own with it. The monk stopped attacking instantly. Azula smiled widely.

"What's wrong, Avatar? Afraid to hit your girlfriend?" she taunted. She fetched the knife and held it once again to the girl's throat.

"Here's the new deal. I take her with me. My hostage. When my brother does manage to show up again, tell him to come to me, at our dojo in the Fire Nation Mountains. He knows where it is, it won't be a problem. I'll give him 3 days. If he doesn't show up," she paused, her eyes glinted with steel, "The girl dies."

The look on the Avatar's face really was priceless. Poor love-sick bastard. He seemed to be in shock. The water-tribe boy was still batting away flames. With an air of satisfaction, Azula swung the girl's broken body onto her back hog-monkey-style, and began leaping up onto the ledges of the temple villas. She leapt higher and higher until she was near the air ship. And there she launched herself from the temple with a stream of fire flaring out behind her. She landed neatly onto the prow of the air-ship. She let the girl's body fall out of her grasp when she spotted the white beast. She motioned to one of the soldiers at the girl and he hurried to move her out of the Princess's line of sight.

When she saw her brother and the water-bender scramble out of the bison's saddle, and begin to run towards the commons, their hands almost outstretched to each other, her first thought was _Agni knows, he sure can pick them. First a bland, emotionless, human doll, and now the enemy. I really should hound him about this in the future._

And then with a jolt she realized that if she succeeded in her mission, there would _be_ no future for him. She steeled herself against that thought. The fool had to die. She _had _to quell his fire. Only then could she prove to herself that Zuko had not controlled her, he had not had any affect what so ever on her emotions.

So Azula told the captain to steer the ship away from the temple. Her message had been clear. Besides, if Zuko cared nearly as much about honor as he claimed to, he'd never let the girl die for him. And that's what Azula was counting on.

* * *

**A/N:** Alright this chapter had way too much angst for me to handle. All these sob stories were making me depressed.

I can only imagine what its doing to my readers

Heehee.

Ah anyway. Next chapter, soon? I promise fluff, to even it out with all this drama.


	13. Chapter 13: Unyielding

**Warning:** This chapter contains a fair amount of violence and torture and things of that nature. Not for the weak of heart.

* * *

**Chapter 13: Unyielding**

* * *

_And I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad, the dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had._

_Tears for Fears, Mad World_

* * *

_Toph! Where are you? I miss you child._ Her mother's voice.

_Where are you Toph? Where did you go?_ Aang's voice this time.

_Toph, my little girl, I'm so proud, so proud... _Her father's voice.

_You know, you really should stop bashing rocks with your head, that's bound to cause brain damage,_ Sokka's.

_Where are you, kiddo? _Zuko's.

_Come on Toph, it doesn't hurt. It's just a bad dream. I promise. _Katara's.

* * *

Voices swirled in her head and Toph squeezed her eyes tight against them. A jolt of realization passed through her. She didn't know where she was. She was lying on a bed of some sort. The covers were soft against her cheeks.

Toph didn't even bother to open her sightless eyes. The first thing she did when she regained consciousness was to try and raise her right foot. It was kind of her favorite. Whenever she dealt that fatal blow in the arena that would leave her opponent sobbing, whenever she attacked with her earth-bending, whenever she 'saw' what Aang looked like…she always used her right foot.

So when it wouldn't rise, panic welled up in her chest. She tried her left, and then her arms. None of them would respond to her. Horror clawed at her thoughts as she remembered the events that had passed.

Azula burning her feet. Azula breaking her arms and legs. Azula blackmailing her friends. Azula almost killing her. _Azula. _

_ The crazy bitch better run. The minute I can walk again…she better run, _Toph thought bitterly.

And once again her situation jolted her back to awareness. She strained her keen ears and tried to catch the sound of well, anything. The heaviness of silence that surrounded her made her feel claustrophobic. She felt like the nothingness was pressing in on her. She hadn't felt like this since she was little. _Stupid fucking Azula. _

Her stomach growled in hunger and Toph glowered. If she was going to be her little hostage, she sure as hell wasn't going to make this any easier for the fire nation bitch.

"Hello! Anybody out there?" She yelled. "How's a girl supposed to get any food up in this joint?" Her voice echoed back at her, breaking the silence like shards of glass. A door clanged open_. Metal_, she thought, _I'm in a metal room._

"Quiet!" a voice hissed. Toph immediately began running through references in her head. _It belonged to a man. Maybe a boy. Probably a couple years older than me._ She needed him to say something else. So she could get a better idea of whom he was.

"Why the hell should I be? If you don't know this already, then let me fill you in, I'm as good as dead, so nothing you say or blackmail me with makes a _goddamn_ difference. So why don't you _stop _telling me to be quiet, and start giving me some _fucking _answers!" she shouted. The boy was quiet for a solid minute. _Oh damn, I probably scared him._

"What do you want to know?" he finally spoke. His speech was formal and quipped._ Obviously from a rich family. Probably literate. Definitely not someone that should be keeping tabs on a prisoner. _

"Where am I, for starters," she said softly. Fatigue weighed down on her suddenly. She tried to pick her head up, to get up and to fight the tiredness.

"No no, don't do that," he whispered and gently pushed her shoulders down. Toph stopped trying, but only because she was exhausted. "You're on a ship. We'll be reaching the Fire Nation shortly. We'll dock there and restore supplies. And then, we'll move further inland towards the Azraf Mountains. She nodded not really caring. No matter where they were going, she was still the prisoner.

"Why can't I feel my arms and legs," she said suddenly. If she could see, she would have stared the boy down, "They're…they're still there right?" she said quietly, her voice wavering slightly. It was quite possible that Azula had her limbs chopped off. It would explain why she couldn't feel them. Some sort of crazy torture on Azula's part. Toph didn't put it past her. The boy rubbed her shoulder in reassurance.

"They're still there," he replied in an equally soft voice, "You can't feel them because of the Shirshu sedative. That'll wear off soon, don't worry." Toph blew a lock of hair out of her face in relief. The boy brushed it out of her face and cupped her cheek with a soft hand.

"Getting a bit touchy, are we?" Toph bit out, "What, you think that just because I can't move, I won't put up a fight?" She turned her cheek to bite the fingers that were around her face. He pulled his hand back sharply.

"What? No! No. I just, I'm the one that's been taking care of you for the past 3 days, and when you're trying to heal four broken limbs, one must be 'touchy' as you say," he paused in his rushed explanation, "I've just gotten used to helping you, that's all, pretty girl," he said tenderly. Toph choked back a scream of frustration. _He did_not_ just call me pretty._

"The last time someone called me pretty, it was followed by the word pathetic, so spare me your pity. Who the hell are you anyway?" she said harshly. She felt his hand rest on the bed.

"I'm Taz, the son of late General Zhao," he finally answered. Toph almost choked on her own spit. She'd heard enough stories about Zhao.

"Wow, no offense, but you're dad was a dick," she said frankly. The boy seemed taken aback by her language. He chuckled darkly.

"I'll take your word for it. Never met him. He lived with my mother long enough for her to get pregnant and after that, he left on various missions—or that's what he'd say to us. Honestly, I do believe he was bullshitting us," he responded.

"So why are you here, Taz?" she muttered.

"Because you're blind and captive, and I am not without heart," he replied.

"What the hell are you trying to say," her voice shook with barely suppressed anger.

"That I thought you would be helpless, and so I volunteered to care for you…. I'm a trained healer, I've always been a rather useless fire-bender...Azula likes to keep me around and even though I'd sooner kill myself than work for her, I have no choice, although I do have the occasional opportunity to bring the subjects of her tortures back from the brink of death and discover that they are indeed wonderful people," he stopped and she could almost feel the strength of his gaze on her, "Wonderful and beautiful people."

"That's great," she said coolly, "Wonderful and all, but maybe you could go get me something to eat now. It'd be a shame if I died of hunger before Azula got a chance to torture me, now isn't it?" she snarled.

"Of course. At once, pretty girl," he stood up and headed out of the room. Toph chose to ignore that final sentiment. Sometimes you needed to pick your battles. As he left, she began processing all this new information about him. _His voice, when he was standing, had come from the air about five feet above me, and if the bed I'm on is anything like the ones at home, then that puts his height at about 5 feet 9 inches. His footsteps sounded heavy. Possibly 135 lbs. All muscle too, judging by the grip he had had on my shoulder. I could take him…if I could walk…So I've been out for three days and that means Zuko's time is almost up. _Toph tried not to dwell on that.

Time passed. She had no indication of how long. It was always dark to her. But outside the ship, she'd always had her feet to show her when the badger-moles were beginning to crawl back into their burrows and the ants were heading back to their hills to tell her the difference between day and night. Now all she had was her heartbeat. She counted it aloud.

Her voice was raw and unused and her mouth tasted weird. It was clean, she realized. That healthy taste of mud that she'd grown so accustomed to, it was gone. Someone had bathed her.

Bile rose in Toph's throat as she thought of all the other things Azula could have let her crew do to her. She shut her eyes tight and the blankets that were piled on top of her didn't seem to keep out the chill that creeped down her spine. She could feel her fingers now, and curled them into a fist. Feeling had spread down to her toes too. And with the feeling came the pain. It was excruciatingly worse than when the bones were first broken. As she tried to wriggle her legs around, she realized that they were bound tightly in hard plaster. Her arms too. _Maybe that Taz is good for _something.

That's when the door clanged open again. _Finally some food_, she thought. And then she heard the sharp _click click click_ of heeled boots walking across the floor over to her bedside.

"Ah you're awake, earth-bender. I've been meaning to talk to you," Azula hissed into Toph's ear. "I had a couple renovations done to this room, just for you, girl. All metal, so no chances of bending out, now are there? And it's all soundproof. No need for your keen little blind girl ears to pick up on any of my plans, right?" Azula clapped her hands together in glee, "And of course, we've put you right into the lap of luxury. It was the least I could do, seeing as to how much help you've been giving me. Speaking of help, we'll be having a little chat, soon. To see just how much more help, you can give," she said softly, almost delicately. Toph could feel her breath wafting across her face. It smelled oddly metallic…like blood. "Someone carry the girl down to the brig," she shouted. Immediately, Toph heard the sound of twenty boots racing up and down the hallways outside.

Before she knew it, she was hoisted up by the armpits roughly by two broad soldiers and was lifted up like a ragdoll. She was taken down staircase after staircase into a dank old room that smelled like sweat and was hotter than all hell.

She was thrown onto a metal table and had her arms and legs strapped down with buckles and wire. Someone put a gag around her mouth as she began screaming obscenities and another someone snaked a rough hand along her stomach.

These men were acting without restraint. Perhaps this had been the Princess's order to them. Take the girl down to the brig and do what you will to her. Fear burned in Toph. She was normally very good at suppressing her feelings, drowning them in logic and rationality.

But right now, those feelings held her up by the throat, choking her. The hand snaked down further and further and Toph squeezed her eyes shut as another two joined it. She heard the sniggers and wolf-whistles that were dreadfully masculine and a tear escaped her shut eyes.

"See earth-bender?" Azula's voice hovered over Toph. Judging by the direction it came from, she was standing on the staircase, watching the whole thing. "These men could tear you apart, and you can't do a thing to stop it. But I can. And I will. But if you're not cooperative, next time….I just might forget," she paused to let it sink in. "Back away, men." Toph heard choruses of 'Yes, Princess' and sighed in relief as the hands moved away from her. "Leave us," she ordered. Once the room was empty, she began again, "Now I want to be fair. Zuko must get here by dusk, or else, I kill you, and now that you know, you'll realize that killing you now will get me no-where. And because of this, you do not have to fear death at the hands of me," she explained softly, her voice slithering over Toph's skin. Toph longed to wrap her arms around herself and cry, "Not yet atleast." She reached roughly behind Toph's head to remove the gag.

Azula circled her for a minute, glaring at her surely. She would never see it. Then suddenly, the Princess grabbed her foot. The bottoms of her feet were still burned through but she had thought they'd be okay. But no, as searing pain pried a cry from her lips, she realized that Azula was going to torture her.

"What in hell are you trying to do," she choked out, but she feared the answer.

"You know, I'm going to ignore that little jibe because I'm a noble woman. But to answer your question, I'm going to skin your dainty little feet to the bone," she cackled. She pressed the flat cold of a knife against the bottom of her. Toph shivered involuntarily. Then Azula began digging the edge of the knife in, over the burns, pulling and pushing and sawing through her skin. Toph tried valiantly not to scream. But in the end the scream tore through her, coming from somewhere deep in her chest. "Mmm music to my ears," Azula sang. She dropped the foot she'd been working on and moved on to the next. Toph's screams echoed back at her. The pain was like fire. The worst part was, every time the bitch touched her feet, tremors sent images of the knife to her brain. And all she could picture in her head was how it looked exactly like a great big hunting blade.

Azula continued sawing away at the flesh of the soles of her feet until blood ran in rivers from each. Toph's eyes had rolled up into the back of her head in anguish as Azula traced the tip of the knife along her ankles and then her knees, moving up and higher until she came to rest at the crest of the earth-bender's stomach.

"You're so pale earth-bender. Really," Azula murmured, dragging the blade up further and further until it came to rest at her cheek. The biting cold of the metal made Toph shudder uncontrollably. "Lets add a bit of color to those cheeks, shall we?" And Azula struck Toph across the face with the flat of the blade. Tears flowed down her cheeks relentlessly now. "I need answers to the following questions. You will reply. Or you will suffer," she spat. "Who has been helping the Avatar? Who has been helping you all? Who is the traitor that has been siphoning off information to that idiotic White Lotus group? I know you know!" she shrilled. Toph's mind raced. _What the hell is she talking about? The bitch's off her rocker. _

"I don't know what you're talking about," Toph rasped.

She struck her across the face again. Toph rotated her jaw in defiance.

"Next time, it'll be with the sharp end, brat!" Azula dropped her hands on to the table. Toph could feel the tremors that shook the girl. "Tell me."

Another blow. Toph chuckled bleakly.

"If I told you, I'd have to kill you," she growled, improvising.

"I knew it! You do know! You will tell me!" Spittle was flying from her mouth.

"No." A slap. Azula growled in frustration. She punched a fist into Toph's stomach. The pain must have her delirious because she could swear she could hear Katara's voice.

_Don't worry Toph. It's just a dream. A nightmare. That's all. It doesn't hurt. I promise. You'll wake up, and you'll laugh because you were so scared. Come on Toph, you're tougher than this. I promise…_

"I'll be back, little menace," she snarled. Toph, thumped her head against the metal table as she heard the _click click_ of Azula leaving the room. As she did this, a range of vibrations flitted to her brain and she felt the knife. It was on the table, only a mere handsbreath from her outstretched palm. Could it be that Azula had made a mistake? Toph reached out with her fingers, she could see the earthen properties in the knife. She could _feel_ them. So Toph curled her fingers into a fist and the knife flew into it, and a triumphant squeal burst from her lips. She put the knife at the bonds at her hands and tried to saw through. Every movement made her arm scream in protest.

But Toph gritted her teeth and continued. She was getting out of this nightmare. After a significant amount of tears and muffled cries of pain, Toph had her feet free. The blood that dripped from them pooled and congealed and she would have sworn her feet were on fire. She finally got her other hand free and tried to sit up, but her broken limbs were swollen and moved clumsily. So Toph rolled off the metal table and landed on her hands and knees. The agony that burst in her made her curl up and sob. She whimpered with her eyes shut feeling every bit the helpless blind girl people made her out to be.

And hating every minute of it.

She tried to stand up. It was a courageous effort. Anyone watching her would have thought she was insane, trying to walk on those injured feet. Anyone watching her would have held their breath as she made progress, managing to walk two steps, before pausing from the extreme hurt._ I'm gonna make it, Aang. I'm gonna make it, Katara. Sokka! Zuko! Mom! Dad! I'm fucking going to make it! _She yelled in her head sending a mental cry to her loved ones. And took another two steps.

So it was quite a shame when she tipped over sideways, her eyes shutting before she even hit the ground, passing out from the pain.

* * *

When Aang saw Zuko and Katara climb down from Appa's saddle, it registered, for a minute. And then all of his attention to them dissipated when he thought of all the cruel things Azula could be doing to Toph right then. He even forgot about just how much of Katara's skin was showing as the brooding Prince and the water-bender reached them, Sokka launched into an explanation of what had just occurred. Katara pressed a fist to her mouth.

"You have to bring her back to me," Aang whispered looking down. "You have to bring her back!" he yelled at Zuko. The Prince was pale and he held in his hands a series of letters. He gave Katara a pained look. And the familiarity Aang saw between them gave him a pang of jealousy but left as soon as it came as he spotted the fast receding air-ship disappearing into the horizon.

"I need to leave right now if I'm going to make it there in time," Zuko whispered, his voice rough.

"I'll go with you," Katara immediately volunteered. Zuko nodded swiftly. Sokka was looking at them through eyes narrowed in suspicion at Katara's state of undress. She glowered back at him.

"I'll go too," Aang blurted. And then three pairs of eyes turned to him in concern.

"You can't Aang," Sokka murmured softly.

"Wh—What? Why not? Tell him, Katara!" Aang looked at her expectantly. She gazed back sadly.

"You can't Aang…You can't risk being exposed in the Fire Nation," she replied gently. He looked up at them all in genuine confusion. _No this isn't how it was supposed to happen. I have to help her._ He looked to Zuko in hope, but the fire-bender shook his head.

"Our position has been compromised. You, Sokka, and the others need to grab our supplies and move _now_," Zuko reasoned. "Load everything onto Appa, he knows the way to a safe place. On Ember Island, my family had a summer home. It's abandoned now. It's a perfect place to hide out until the comet," Zuko advised. Aang nodded dejectedly. His heart thrummed painfully.

"Where were you guys tonight, anyway?" Sokka piped up suddenly.

"Zuko told me about how suspected we could get our hands on some military information. I took him up on that, and we managed to get some data" Katara said quickly. She took the letters out of the Prince's hand and held them out to Sokka, smirking. The water-tribe boy wiggled his fingers greedily and snatched them out of his sister's hands, saying things like 'oooh fancy paper'.

Zuko left to go get the war balloon that him and Katara would be using to get to Azula in that mysterious dojo in the mountains. Katara herself fluttered to and fro gathering things and supplies. Everything was moving in slow motion for him.

In an hour's time, they had left on the war balloon.

The morning sun was bright and the day was warm.

_It shouldn't be warm,_ Aang thought bitterly. _It should be cold and dark and dull for as long as Toph is gone._

* * *

**A/N: **I promised fluff, didn't I? Yeah yeah I know. This isn't even close to fluff. SOON THOUGH. That's a promise.


End file.
